Developing an AI Pharmacy Chatbot for the Population of Hong Kong
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 招募中
- 入组人数
- 280
- 试验地点
- 2
- 主要终点
- Medical knowledge
研究概览
简要总结
The primary objective of this study is to is to develop a conversational AI service (chatbot) in Hong Kong to assist patients and caregivers with inquires related to Hospital Authority (HA)-prescribed medications, and to evaluate its effectiveness in answering medication-related questions. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- How satisfied are the patients and caregivers with this pharmacy chatbot?
- How will the pharmacy chatbot impact eligible patients or caregivers on their (or the patient they are caring for) medication adherence, knowledge, and the consultation time with HA pharmacists?
There will be an intervention group and a control group:
- The intervention group will be invited to use the AI Pharmacy Chatbot online for 7 days through WhatsApp, a commonly used social media platform in Hong Kong. They can inquire about their medications prescribed under HA and get instant, validated answers from the chatbot.
- The control group will not use the chatbot during the intervention period.
To evaluate the chatbot's usability, researchers will measure patient satisfaction through usability questionnaires issued to the intervention group after their intervention period. Differences in medication adherence, medication knowledge, and HA pharmacist consultation time will also be measured between the intervention and control groups after the intervention period, to determine the chatbot's impact.
详细描述
In this study, we aim to develop an artificial intelligent (AI) pharmacy chatbot and evaluate its effectiveness in answering questions related to prescribed-medications.
We will first develop an AI pharmacy chatbot prototype utilizing advanced technologies such as AI and natural language processing. By implementing Hospital Authority (HA) drug database and suggestions from Chief Pharmacist's Office (CPO), a Proof-of-Concept phase will be conducted to validate the chatbot's ability to address medication-related questions for locally prevalent chronic conditions in Hong Kong: hyperglycaemia, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia. After completing the prototype development, we will invite pharmacists from HA for testing and evaluation of the prototype, further finetuning the chatbot based on their feedback.
Then we aim to enhance the usability of the chatbot by incorporating feedback from patients and caregivers. We aim to recruit a minimum of 280 patients receiving HA-prescribed medication on hyperglycaemia, hypertension, and / or hyperlipidaemia, or their caregivers. According to a previous study, the medication adherence of patients with chronic conditions in Hong Kong was about 61.63%. For an increase to 80% of adherence would require a minimum of 140 participants per group, with a significance level (α) of 0.05, a test power (1-β) of 0.8, and a cluster design effect (D) of 1.5.
Recruitment of patients and caregivers will involve collaboration with HA to identify eligible participants. Designated pharmacists and other healthcare professionals from HA will help distribute recruitment materials to eligible patients and caregivers and provide researchers a list of participants who express the willingness to participate.
Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either the control group or the intervention group. Before the intervention period, they will all receive a consent form and an information sheet which provides details on the study. They will also be asked to complete a pre-study survey, which includes questions on socio-demographics, drug usage habits, medical history and experience with chatbots.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Health Services Research
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Patients aged 18 years or older diagnosed with either hyperglycaemia, hypertension, or hyperlipidaemia, and currently receiving medication prescribed by the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong.
- •Caregivers aged 18 years or older for patients described above.
排除标准
- •There is no exclusion criterion, but they should meet the inclusion criteria above.
结局指标
主要结局
Medical knowledge
时间窗: 1 week
Before the intervention period, all participants will be asked whether they disagree or agree with the following statements on a 5-point Likert scale (Strongly agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree and Strongly disagree): 1. I understand the main indications of my medications (or the medications of the patient I care for). 2. I understand the potential side effects of my medications (or the medications of the patient I care for). 3. I know how to take my medications (or administer the medications of the patient I care), including the dosage and frequency, thereby promoting my medication adherence. 4. I have concerns or worries about my medications (or the medications of the patient I care for). 5. I can obtain medication-related information efficiently and easily. After the 7-day intervention period, they will be asked again the same questions.
Medical adherence
时间窗: 1 week
Before the intervention period, all participants will be asked whether they disagree or agree with the following statement on a 5-point Likert scale (Strongly agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree and Strongly disagree): I know how to take my medications (or administer the medications of the patient I care), including the dosage and frequency, thereby promoting my medication adherence. After the 7-day intervention period, they will be asked again the same questions.
次要结局
- Response time(1 week)
- User satisfaction(1 week)
- Consultation with pharmacists(1 week)
研究者
Joseph Tsz Kei Wu
Professor
The University of Hong Kong