A Smart Chatbot for Interactive Management in Beta Thalassemia Patients

Abstract

Background. β-thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that affects the production of hemoglobin molecules owing to the reduction or absence of beta chains. Transfusion therapy has had a key role in extending the lifespan of β-thalassemia patients. This life-saving therapy is linked to numerous assessments and complications that now comprise most thalassemia management considerations. Consequently, many patients do not receive adequate information about the required assessments, as indicated by evidence-based medical guidelines. Patients with β-thalassemia may benefit from chatbots that follow up on their condition and that provide the required assessment information. Self-management will hopefully have a positive impact on health outcomes. Objectives. This study aims to develop a chatbot that can assist in the management of β-thalassemia by providing the assessment information required to monitor patients’ statuses. Methods. The chatbot operated as a messaging system. A question/answer system was created based on knowledge pertaining to β-thalassemia assembled from experts, medical guidelines, and articles. Recommendations regarding the patient’s follow-up assessment are made based on the answers. Results. A prototype was implemented to demonstrate how the chatbots could dynamically and flexibly provide the assessment information required to follow up on and monitor patients. A small sample of adults with β-thalassemia used the chatbot to examine the system’s usability and perceived utility. A system usability scale and utility scale were implemented to complete a post-test survey. The chatbots were considered by 34 patients, of whom the majority (72%) found them easy to use, while more than 90% of patients considered their use beneficial. Most of the participants agreed that the chatbots could improve their knowledge about their β-thalassemia assessments. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that chatbots can be beneficial to the development of recommended tests and management related to the assessment of β-thalassemia.

Evaluating the Potential and Pitfalls of AI-Powered Conversational Agents as Humanlike Virtual Health Carers in the Remote Management of Noncommunicable Diseases: Scoping Review

“…Of the 38 CA prototypes presented, 27 (71%) were found to have indicated their AI algorithm implementation methods to generate appropriate health-related responses. A total of 30% (8/27) of them were implemented using rule-based algorithms [ 72 , 81 , 83 , 84 , 86 - 88 , 103 ], 7% (2/27) of the CAs were developed using network-based scripted algorithms [ 10 , 80 ], and 4% (1/27) of the CAs were implemented using prescripted algorithms based on behavior change theory, whereas 33% (9/27) of the CAs were implemented using ML approaches [ 58 , 74 , 75 , 89 , 93 - 95 , 97 , 99 ] and 15% (4/27) of the CAs were developed using a combination of rule-based and ML techniques [ 78 , 85 , 101 , 107 ]. However, one of the CAs identified from a study was a Wizard-of-Oz human-like AI avatar with prescripted text and human-controlled responses to evaluate the potential effectiveness of visually embodied avatars in the assessment of anxiety and depression through users’ behavioral expressiveness [ 96 ].…”

“…The qualitative studies (9/43, 21%) were mostly usability and acceptability assessments of prototypes through qualitative posttest surveys [ 103 ], postintervention interviews [ 107 ], focus groups [ 110 ], a participatory design approach with focus groups and interviews [ 108 ], and workshops [ 91 ]. A total of 22% (2/9) of the qualitative studies compared the proposed prototypes against similar existing applications [ 58 , 89 ].…”

“…The ubiquitous self-care support through constant symptom monitoring, along with the personalized behavioral modifications provided by CAs, can possibly rescue patients from minor health concerns and prevent the progression of chronic diseases [ 10 , 104 ]. Health care professionals are optimistic about CAs’ potential ability to save patients time and money that they usually spend on physical clinic visits [ 103 ], thereby reducing the health care cost and burden and increasing accessibility [ 91 , 104 ]. Augmented reality applications could enhance the training of health care professionals and even patients in using these new technologies effectively [ 115 , 129 , 130 ].…”

Mobile App Deployment for Quality-of-Life Patient with Thalassemia: A narrative review

“…Literature review using 10 articles that discuss the quality of life of thalassemia patients by using chatbots can be useful in providing information needed by thalassemia patients as well as thalassemia patients who require follow-up and monitoring efforts so that action can be taken immediately (Alturaiki et al, 2022). Other research mentions that there is a Cyber Gen application which is useful in providing counseling to thalassemia patients by testing all menus and submenus in a system that can be accessed properly (Setiawan et al, 2021).…”

Predicting Thalassemia Using Feature Selection Techniques: A Comparative Analysis

“…The rule-based chatbot [71] for the management of βT endorses the outlook on health superiority that intends to improve patient confidentiality and timely care while addressing patient safety and efficacy. The chatbot offers accurate time for mandatory examinations and assessments, which can help to improve health outcomes and decrease the number of times patients need to see medical experts for checkups.…”