Automation of cognitive and physical tasks in the health and social care sector : implications for safety and health : literature review

The objective of the study is to provide an overview of the state of play, the tasks and good practices related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics for the automation of physical and cognitive tasks in the health and social care (HeSCare) sector. The specific objectives of the project are: ▪ to make available easy-to-access information on the impact of the automation of cognitive and physical tasks in the HeSCare sector; ▪ to identify and further investigate the motives for the adoption of the specific technologies in the HeSCare sector and its implications for occupational safety and health (OSH) (as described in the literature); and ▪ to provide information to support the development of resources for the European-wide Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2023-2025 "Safe and healthy work in the digital age". The technologies in the scope of the study are AI-based systems as well as complex non-AI-based robotic systems according to the taxonomy developed by EU-OSHA. 1 The geographical scope is the EU-27 with examples from outside the EU if relevant (for example, from leading countries in robotics such as Japan, South Korea and the United States). The study covers the state of play and research from the last five years to ensure that the information is up to date with the latest technological, economic and social developments.