Scoping Review of Robot-Assisted Meal Delivery in Hospitals and Nursing Homes: Systems, Settings, Outcomes, and Implementation Factors

Background: The increasing amount of non-nursing-specific tasks levied upon nurses adds to workplace-related stress for many. Robot-assisted meal delivery could support clinical settings and relieve nurses. However, there is little evidence on the pertinent implementation factors that enable human-robot collaboration in meal delivery. By identifying the most relevant implementation outcomes, our study provides a basis for the development of robot-assisted meal delivery and its implementation in nursing settings and offers an in-depth review of previous studies relevant for automated meal delivery in nursing homes. Objective This scoping review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding robot-assisted meal delivery in hospitals and nursing homes, including systems, settings, outcomes, implementation factors, and future directions. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using PRISMA principles. A systematic search in English and German was carried out in the following databases: PubMed / MEDLINE, IEEE Xplore, SpringerLink, and ScienceDirect. Publications dated from January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2026 were included. Results: Two studies were included, featuring qualitative methodologies from geographic locations in Australia and Germany. The review identified existing robot-assisted meal delivery applications, outcome measures used for their evaluation, reported effects and implementation factors across care settings, and practice-relevant requirements for future system design. There were no studies documenting robot autonomy, gateways/interoperability and technical background. Conclusion: The limited number of two published studies warrants cautious interpretation of the results. In the sample there were no use cases from hospital wards; instead, all empirical studies stem from nursing home settings. The following aspects were lacking: consideration of the specific organisational context, desired learning outcomes, ethical standpoints, and adaptation needs, all of which are crucial to ensuring that robotics can provide practical assistance in nursing. Future studies must explore long-term implications of human-robot interaction, managerial intelligence, and workforce dynamics to better integrate robots in nursing management.