Inpatient Nurses' Anticipatory Perspectives on Assistive Robots: Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Assistive robots have been proposed to support nursing work by offloading routine, logistical, and physically demanding tasks. However, existing research has largely focused on postimplementation acceptance or usability, with fewer studies examining how nurses conceptualize assistive robots before routine deployment, particularly in settings where exposure remains limited. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore inpatient nurses' anticipatory perspectives on assistive robots and to examine how perceived benefits, concerns, and implementation conditions are constructed at the preimplementation stage. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using semistructured, face-to-face interviews with 16 registered nurses aged 21 to 32 years from 4 general medical wards in a public tertiary hospital in Singapore. At the time of data collection, assistive robots had not been routinely implemented; participants' exposure was limited to pilots, demonstrations, and indirect sources. Interview transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Participants' accounts reflected anticipatory acceptance characterized by cautious optimism regarding the potential of assistive robots to support nursing work, alongside concurrent concerns about safety, professional identity, relational care, and implementation feasibility. Four themes were developed: anticipatory optimism shaped by indirect exposure; negotiating uncertainty, safety, and professional boundaries; imagining assistive robots as workload and workflow support; and conditions for responsible implementation. Concerns centered on professional identity, patient safety, ethical boundaries, loss of human touch, technical reliability, cost-effectiveness, and organizational feasibility. Participants viewed assistive robots as acceptable only if they were integrated into nursing workflows, preserved clinical judgment and relational care, and were supported by training, technical infrastructure, leadership commitment, and clear governance. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses' anticipatory perspectives suggest that acceptance of assistive robots depends not only on perceived usefulness, but also on alignment with professional values, patient safety, relational care, and organizational readiness. Early nurse involvement, human-centered implementation, structured training, and clear governance are needed to ensure that assistive robots augment rather than undermine nursing practice.