BACKGROUND
A preparation for telemedicine has become increasingly urgent in recent years as the world is facing new challenges in how to provide healthcare from a physical distance. Using a chatbot technology, healthcare providers can use a chatbot which is a computer program to automatically converse with patients through text. In antenatal care clinics, a chatbot can be used to receive patient-specific data and give advice to support care of pregnant women.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a mobile technology as a chatbot software system to support pregnant women for monitoring gestational weight gain and health lifestyle during pregnancy
METHODS
The present study demonstrated how the chatbot program, REMI, (Robot for Expecting Mother’s Information) was developed with the LINE platform. Thai singleton pregnant women with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) above 18.5 kg/m2 were enrolled with REMI. An individual gestational weight gain was recorded in the program by the subject themselves. The healthcare provider can review patients’ data and give advice. All data were collected and analyzed. The pregnant women who came for routine antenatal care were enrolled as a control group.
RESULTS
Four hundred and fifty-two pregnant women were registered in REMI chatbot program. Two hundred forty- five pregnant women were registered and received antenatal care in Thammasat University Hospital. Normal and high pre-pregnancy BMI women were 93 (37.96%), 152 (62.04%) in REMI group and 2 (0.97%), 205 (99.03%) in the routine antenatal care group, respectively. The number of pregnant women with excessive weight gain who gain weight more than 0.5 kg/week in normal BMI, overweight group (BMI 18.5-24.9) and 0.25 kg/week in obesity and marked obesity group (BMI>=25) were not different between REMI chatbot group and usual antenatal care group. Most of pregnant women who registered to use the REMI chatbot program had used it frequently and they can understand the program quickly.
CONCLUSIONS
For pregnant women, a mobile app such as REMI chatbot program can provide support for pregnant women between consultation visits, thereby reducing the number of required outpatient clinic visits and help clinicians in terms of education and monitoring their patients.
CLINICALTRIAL
Not applicable