RoboDoc: Critical ethical issues to consider for the design and development of a robotic doctor experience

Abstract

To make sense of the robotic revolution quietly occurring in the health sector – particularly, the potential of the robot as a doctor – we need the mechanisms in place to enable us to reflect on the ethical values, beliefs, and aspirations that have shaped and are continuing to shape our health services. Robotics has the potential to re-invent our health system, but as designers and developers of the robot doctor, we need the means to fully understand both patient and doctor’s needs to ensure complete satisfaction. The core of understanding of our future robotic doctor lies in the patient-doctor experience; this paper is interested in exploring the critical issues behind the robot-doctor interaction. It will highlight some of the main ethical considerations involved in the design and development of this medical robotic experience.