Evaluation of the Rosa Chatbot Providing Genetic Information to Patients at Risk of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer : Qualitative Interview Study

©Elen Siglen, Hildegunn Høberg Vetti, Mirjam Augestad, Vidar M Steen, Åshild Lunde, Cathrine Bjorvatn. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 01.09.2023..

BACKGROUND: Genetic testing has become an integrated part of health care for patients with breast or ovarian cancer, and the increasing demand for genetic testing is accompanied by an increasing need for easy access to reliable genetic information for patients. Therefore, we developed a chatbot app (Rosa) that is able to perform humanlike digital conversations about genetic BRCA testing.

OBJECTIVE: Before implementing this new information service in daily clinical practice, we wanted to explore 2 aspects of chatbot use: the perceived utility and trust in chatbot technology among healthy patients at risk of hereditary cancer and how interaction with a chatbot regarding sensitive information about hereditary cancer influences patients.

METHODS: Overall, 175 healthy individuals at risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer were invited to test the chatbot, Rosa, before and after genetic counseling. To secure a varied sample, participants were recruited from all cancer genetic clinics in Norway, and the selection was based on age, gender, and risk of having a BRCA pathogenic variant. Among the 34.9% (61/175) of participants who consented for individual interview, a selected subgroup (16/61, 26%) shared their experience through in-depth interviews via video. The semistructured interviews covered the following topics: usability, perceived usefulness, trust in the information received via the chatbot, how Rosa influenced the user, and thoughts about future use of digital tools in health care. The transcripts were analyzed using the stepwise-deductive inductive approach.

RESULTS: The overall finding was that the chatbot was very welcomed by the participants. They appreciated the 24/7 availability wherever they were and the possibility to use it to prepare for genetic counseling and to repeat and ask questions about what had been said afterward. As Rosa was created by health care professionals, they also valued the information they received as being medically correct. Rosa was referred to as being better than Google because it provided specific and reliable answers to their questions. The findings were summed up in 3 concepts: "Anytime, anywhere"; "In addition, not instead"; and "Trustworthy and true." All participants (16/16) denied increased worry after reading about genetic testing and hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in Rosa.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that a genetic information chatbot has the potential to contribute to easy access to uniform information for patients at risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, regardless of geographical location. The 24/7 availability of quality-assured information, tailored to the specific situation, had a reassuring effect on our participants. It was consistent across concepts that Rosa was a tool for preparation and repetition; however, none of the participants (0/16) supported that Rosa could replace genetic counseling if hereditary cancer was confirmed. This indicates that a chatbot can be a well-suited digital companion to genetic counseling.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2023

Erschienen:

2023

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:25

Enthalten in:

Journal of medical Internet research - 25(2023) vom: 01. Sept., Seite e46571

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Siglen, Elen [VerfasserIn]
Vetti, Hildegunn Høberg [VerfasserIn]
Augestad, Mirjam [VerfasserIn]
Steen, Vidar M [VerfasserIn]
Lunde, Åshild [VerfasserIn]
Bjorvatn, Cathrine [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Acceptability
Breast
Breast cancer
Cancer
Chatbot
Chatbots
Digital health technology
Digital health tool
Digital information tool
Digital tool
Genetic
Genetic clinic
Genetic counseling
Genetic testing
Hereditary
Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer
Hybrid health care
Information retrieval
Journal Article
Mobile phone
Oncology
Ovarian
Ovarian cancer
Perceived
Perception
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Technology
Trust
Virtual assistant
Women’s health

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 04.09.2023

Date Revised 18.09.2023

published: Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.2196/46571

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM361542771