scholarly journals When Chatbots Meet Patients: One-Year Prospective Study of Conversations Between Patients With Breast Cancer and a Chatbot (Preprint)

Author(s):  
Benjamin Chaix ◽  
Jean-Emmanuel Bibault ◽  
Arthur Pienkowski ◽  
Guillaume Delamon ◽  
Arthur Guillemassé ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND A chatbot is a software that interacts with users by simulating a human conversation through text or voice via smartphones or computers. It could be a solution to follow up with patients during their disease while saving time for health care providers. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate one year of conversations between patients with breast cancer and a chatbot. METHODS Wefight Inc designed a chatbot (Vik) to empower patients with breast cancer and their relatives. Vik responds to the fears and concerns of patients with breast cancer using personalized insights through text messages. We conducted a prospective study by analyzing the users’ and patients’ data, their usage duration, their interest in the various educational contents proposed, and their level of interactivity. Patients were women with breast cancer or under remission. RESULTS A total of 4737 patients were included. Results showed that an average of 132,970 messages exchanged per month was observed between patients and the chatbot, Vik. Thus, we calculated the average medication adherence rate over 4 weeks by using a prescription reminder function, and we showed that the more the patients used the chatbot, the more adherent they were. Patients regularly left positive comments and recommended Vik to their friends. The overall satisfaction was 93.95% (900/958). When asked what Vik meant to them and what Vik brought them, 88.00% (943/958) said that Vik provided them with support and helped them track their treatment effectively. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that it is possible to obtain support through a chatbot since Vik improved the medication adherence rate of patients with breast cancer.

2008 ◽  
Vol 122 (10) ◽  
pp. 1088-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Jayashankar ◽  
K P Morwani ◽  
M J Shaan ◽  
S R Bhatia ◽  
K T Patil

AbstractGold eyelid implantation is widely considered the procedure of choice to reanimate the upper eyelid in paralytic lagophthalmos. Commercially supplied implants are not readily available in all places and are sometimes cumbersome to import.Objective:We aimed to devise a method whereby every surgeon performing gold eyelid implantation could have easy and quick access to the implant. Furthermore, we aimed to develop a means of creating an implant of the exact weight required for complete eyelid closure.Study design and setting:A prospective study was performed from 1997 to 2005 in a tertiary research hospital, involving 50 subjects requiring gold upper eyelid implantation and using the technique in question.Results:Only patients with a minimum follow up of one year were included in the study group. Symptoms improved in 96 per cent of subjects, who were able to dispense with eyedrops and eye ointments. Visual acuity improved in 92 per cent of patients. There were two extrusions amongst the early cases.Conclusion and significance:Customised gold eyelid implantation offers an alternative in regions where commercial implants are not easily obtained.


Hand Surgery ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 01 (02) ◽  
pp. 103-105
Author(s):  
J. Joris Hage ◽  
Jaap D.K. Munting

Thirty-six adult patients with 44 trigger fingers of less than four months' duration entered a prospective study on the efficiency of treatment with local injections of a combination of corticosteroids and lidocaine. From this study it may be concluded that the short-term success rate (93%) of one to three injections of methylprednisolone and lidocaine 2% (Depo-Medrol®) is comparable to that achieved by surgical or percutaneous tenolysis. At one year of follow-up, this success rate still amounted to 86%. In our hands, this therapy is without complications or side effects.


1973 ◽  
Vol 123 (573) ◽  
pp. 141-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond Kelly ◽  
Alan Richardson ◽  
Nita Mitchell-Heggs ◽  
Juliet Greenup ◽  
Char-nie Chen ◽  
...  

The neurophysiological aspects and operative technique of stereotactic limbic leucotomy have been described in a previous paper (Kelly, Richardson and Mitchell-Heggs, 1973). The present investigation is a prospective study designed to assess the results of such surgery in a group of 40 severely ill psychiatric patients, who had failed to respond satisfactorily to every other type of treatment. The results have been assessed clinically, psychologically and physiologically, in a very detailed way, at six weeks; a similar follow-up at one year is in progress. A comparison is made between the results of the present series and those of a previous: study (Kelly et al., 1972), in which more extensive leucotomy operations were carried out, and similar means of assessment were employed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document