Healthcare Looks to AI-Powered Chatbots to Ease COVID-19 Anxiety

Artificial intelligence tools have played a pivotal role in the COVID-19 pandemic thus far, helping researchers and healthcare organizations identify hot spots, prepare for potential resource gaps, and better understand virus risk factors.

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Now, the industry is seeking to use artificial intelligence to assist with yet another aspect of the pandemic: patient anxiety.

Organizations are exploring the use of AI-powered chatbots to support individuals during COVID-19, which could result in improved patient experiences and better outcomes.

In a recent study published in JAMIA, researchers from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business conducted an online experiment with participants who viewed a COVID-19 screening session between a hotline agent – either human or chatbot – and a user with COVID-19 symptoms.

The team set out to study whether the chatbots were seen as being persuasive, providing satisfying information that would likely be followed. The results showed a slight negative bias against chatbots’ ability. However, when the perceived ability is the same, participants reported that they viewed chatbots more positively than human agents.

This could have promising implications for healthcare organizations struggling to meet user demand for screening services.

"The primary factor driving user response to screening hotlines -- human or chatbot -- is perceptions of the agent's ability," said Alan Dennis, the John T. Chambers Chair of Internet Systems at Kelley and corresponding author of the paper. "When ability is the same, users view chatbots no differently or more positively than human agents."

Additionally, chatbots could make patients feel less anxious about seeking medical care, the group said.

"This positive response may be because users feel more comfortable disclosing information to a chatbot, especially socially undesirable information, because a chatbot makes no judgment," researchers wrote.

"The CDC, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and other health organizations caution that the COVID-19 outbreak has provoked social stigma and discriminatory behaviors against people of certain ethnic backgrounds, as well as those perceived to have been in contact with the virus. This is truly an unfortunate situation, and perhaps chatbots can assist those who are hesitant to seek help because of the stigma."

Even before the pandemic, chatbots have been seen as a technology that could accelerate patient-provider interactions and online searches for medical information.

"Chatbots are scalable, so they can meet an unexpected surge in demand when there is a shortage of qualified human agents," the authors wrote. "Chatbots can provide round-the-clock service at a low operational cost.”

The team also emphasized that the main factor driving individuals’ perceptions of ability was the user’s trust in the provider of the screening hotline.

"Proactively informing users of the chatbot's ability is important," the authors wrote. "Users need to understand that chatbots use the same up-to-date knowledge base and follow the same set of screening protocols as human agents. Because trust in the provider strongly influences perceptions of ability, building on the organization's reputation may also prove useful."

At UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, leaders are also exploring the use of AI-driven chatbots to support patients during the pandemic. The organization is using a robot named Robin to ease pediatric patients’ loneliness while physically isolating in the hospital.

Robin is powered by emotional learning technology, allowing the tool to engage realistically with children.

“Negative feelings are even stronger during this time,” said Dr. Justin Wagner, pediatric surgeon at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and co-leader of the Robin project. “We hope to integrate Robin as a member of the team, augmenting our ability to give children contact, attention and companionship.” 

The organization expects to deploy Robin in mid-July, where it will go through a yearlong training period. A specialist from the hospital’s Chase Child Life Program will provide Robin’s voice and control the robot’s actions as it learns how to respond to the needs of children and families.

“This is another tool in our toolbox to provide developmental and coping support for our young patients,” said Kelli Carroll, director of the Chase Child Life Program. “While our traditional interventions are on pause during the pandemic, the need remains to prepare, educate and provide behavioral distraction for children. Robin will help our specialists do that.”

In addition to providing emotional support to patients, Robin will be the subject of a study by a team of medical and behavioral specialists that will assess the robot’s impact on children and families.

“The ability to provide our pediatric patients with this type of social companionship is very compelling, particularly during this pandemic,” says Dr. Shant Shekherdimian, a pediatric surgeon and co-leader of the project. “We also knew that by bringing Robin to UCLA, our team of clinicians and researchers would work tirelessly to improve this technology and make it an even more powerful tool.”