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Bérubé C, Schachner T, Keller R, Fleisch E, V Wangenheim F, Barata F, Kowatsch T. Voice-Based Conversational Agents for the Prevention and Management of Chronic and Mental Health Conditions: Systematic Literature Review. J Med Internet Res 2021; 23:e25933. [PMID: 33658174 PMCID: PMC8042539 DOI: 10.2196/25933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Chronic and mental health conditions are increasingly prevalent worldwide. As devices in our everyday lives offer more and more voice-based self-service, voice-based conversational agents (VCAs) have the potential to support the prevention and management of these conditions in a scalable manner. However, evidence on VCAs dedicated to the prevention and management of chronic and mental health conditions is unclear. Objective This study provides a better understanding of the current methods used in the evaluation of health interventions for the prevention and management of chronic and mental health conditions delivered through VCAs. Methods We conducted a systematic literature review using PubMed MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. We included primary research involving the prevention or management of chronic or mental health conditions through a VCA and reporting an empirical evaluation of the system either in terms of system accuracy, technology acceptance, or both. A total of 2 independent reviewers conducted the screening and data extraction, and agreement between them was measured using Cohen kappa. A narrative approach was used to synthesize the selected records. Results Of 7170 prescreened papers, 12 met the inclusion criteria. All studies were nonexperimental. The VCAs provided behavioral support (n=5), health monitoring services (n=3), or both (n=4). The interventions were delivered via smartphones (n=5), tablets (n=2), or smart speakers (n=3). In 2 cases, no device was specified. A total of 3 VCAs targeted cancer, whereas 2 VCAs targeted diabetes and heart failure. The other VCAs targeted hearing impairment, asthma, Parkinson disease, dementia, autism, intellectual disability, and depression. The majority of the studies (n=7) assessed technology acceptance, but only few studies (n=3) used validated instruments. Half of the studies (n=6) reported either performance measures on speech recognition or on the ability of VCAs to respond to health-related queries. Only a minority of the studies (n=2) reported behavioral measures or a measure of attitudes toward intervention-targeted health behavior. Moreover, only a minority of studies (n=4) reported controlling for participants’ previous experience with technology. Finally, risk bias varied markedly. Conclusions The heterogeneity in the methods, the limited number of studies identified, and the high risk of bias show that research on VCAs for chronic and mental health conditions is still in its infancy. Although the results of system accuracy and technology acceptance are encouraging, there is still a need to establish more conclusive evidence on the efficacy of VCAs for the prevention and management of chronic and mental health conditions, both in absolute terms and in comparison with standard health care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Bérubé
- Center for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Theresa Schachner
- Center for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roman Keller
- Future Health Technologies Programme, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Elgar Fleisch
- Center for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Future Health Technologies Programme, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore, Singapore.,Center for Digital Health Interventions, Institute of Technology Management, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Florian V Wangenheim
- Center for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Future Health Technologies Programme, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Filipe Barata
- Center for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Kowatsch
- Center for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Future Health Technologies Programme, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore, Singapore.,Center for Digital Health Interventions, Institute of Technology Management, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.,Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Luo Y, Oh CY, Jean BS, Choe EK. Interrelationships Between Patients' Data Tracking Practices, Data Sharing Practices, and Health Literacy: Onsite Survey Study. J Med Internet Res 2020; 22:e18937. [PMID: 33350960 PMCID: PMC7785405 DOI: 10.2196/18937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Although the use of patient-generated data (PGD) in the optimization of patient care shows great promise, little is known about whether patients who track their PGD necessarily share the data with their clinicians. Meanwhile, health literacy—an important construct that captures an individual’s ability to manage their health and to engage with their health care providers—has often been neglected in prior studies focused on PGD tracking and sharing. To leverage the full potential of PGD, it is necessary to bridge the gap between patients’ data tracking and data sharing practices by first understanding the interrelationships between these practices and the factors contributing to these practices. Objective This study aims to systematically examine the interrelationships between PGD tracking practices, data sharing practices, and health literacy among individual patients. Methods We surveyed 109 patients at the time they met with a clinician at a university health center, unlike prior research that often examined patients’ retrospective experience after some time had passed since their clinic visit. The survey consisted of 39 questions asking patients about their PGD tracking and sharing practices based on their current clinical encounter. The survey also contained questions related to the participants’ health literacy. All the participants completed the survey on a tablet device. The onsite survey study enabled us to collect ecologically valid data based on patients’ immediate experiences situated within their clinic visit. Results We found no evidence that tracking PGD was related to self-reports of having sufficient information to manage one’s health; however, the number of data types participants tracked positively related to their self-assessed ability to actively engage with health care providers. Participants’ data tracking practices and their health literacy did not relate to their data sharing practices; however, their ability to engage with health care providers positively related to their willingness to share their data with clinicians in the future. Participants reported several benefits of, and barriers to, sharing their PGD with clinicians. Conclusions Although tracking PGD could help patients better engage with health care providers, it may not provide patients with sufficient information to manage their health. The gaps between tracking and sharing PGD with health care providers call for efforts to inform patients of how their data relate to their health and to facilitate efficient clinician-patient communication. To realize the full potential of PGD and to promote individuals’ health literacy, empowering patients to effectively track and share their PGD is important—both technologies and health care providers can play important roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhan Luo
- College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Chi Young Oh
- Chicago State University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Beth St Jean
- College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Eun Kyoung Choe
- College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
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Harkness S, Super CM. Culture and human development: Where did it go? And where is it going? New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2020; 2020:101-119. [PMID: 33135367 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Culture and human development blossomed as a research enterprise in the last quarter of the 20th century; the energy and innovation of that enterprise are less evident now. Where did it go, and where is it going? In this essay, we examine the shifting fields of cross-cultural psychology, psychological anthropology, cultural psychology, indigenous psychology, and the surge of research on Individualism/Collectivism. Offering both academic and personal perspectives, we reflect on the importance of "culture" as a construct, and the value of focusing on individual development in that context. The way forward now, we suggest, is international and intercultural collaboration of scientists. The challenge for training new researchers from diverse backgrounds, however, is to equip them with the knowledge and insights gained from cross-cultural psychology, psychological anthropology, and their own cultures, rather than simply making the next generation of scholars into new representatives of Western theories of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Harkness
- Professor of Human Development and Pediatrics, Director of the Center for the Study of Culture, Health, and Human Development, 348 Mansfield Rd., Unit 2058, Storrs, CT, 06269-2058, USA
| | - Charles M Super
- Professor of Human Development and Pediatrics, Director of the Center for the Study of Culture, Health, and Human Development, 348 Mansfield Rd., Unit 2058, Storrs, CT, 06269-2058, USA
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