AI-Based Personalized Health and Self-Care: Investigating A Mobile Virtual Assistant to Address Health-Related Social Needs
Emre Sezgin
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the DAPHNE chatbot can improve caregiver engagement, usability, and integration of social care support tools into clinical workflows in caregivers of pediatric patients receiving care at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Primary Care Center (NCH PCC). This is a pilot randomized clinical trial. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the DAPHNE chatbot usable, acceptable, and minimally burdensome for caregivers over a 6-month period? * Can the DAPHNE chatbot be effectively integrated into primary care provider workflows? Researchers will compare the DAPHNE chatbot intervention arm to the standard of care control arm to see if the intervention improves caregiver-reported outcomes and provider workflow integration. Participants that are patients will be randomly assigned to either the DAPHNE chatbot group or the standard of care group. Complete surveys assessing usability, acceptability, and burden and participate in brief qualitative interviews to share feedback on their experience. Participants that are Primary Care providers will discuss integration of DAPHNE into clinical workflows and complete workflow integration assessments.
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria (Caregivers): * Must be 18 years or older * At least one unmet social need * Low-income * Currently under Medicaid/Medicare insurance or have no coverage Inclusion Criteria (Primary Care Providers): * Must be 18 years or older * Must be employed at Nationwide Children's Hospital Exclusion Criteria: \- Due to the intervention only being translated into English, non-English Speakers will be excluded from this study.
Interventions
- BehavioralDAPHNE Chatbot Intervention
The DAPHNE intervention consists of a conversational, AI-powered chatbot designed to identify and address health-related social needs (HRSNs) among caregivers of pediatric patients. Delivered via a secure mobile and web-based application, the chatbot facilitates natural language interactions to assess needs, generate personalized resource recommendations, and support real-time navigation to community-based services. Participants assigned to the intervention arm will have continuous access to the chatbot over a six-month period, including automated nudges, tailored prompts, and context-aware suggestions. The intervention is non-invasive and participant-driven.
- OtherStandard HRSN Screening and Referral (Usual Care)
Participants randomized to the control group will receive the standard-of-care HRSN screening and referral services as currently implemented in Nationwide Children's Hospital Primary Care Clinics. These services include in-clinic social needs assessments conducted during routine visits and referrals to internal or external resources, such as social work or care coordination teams. Participants in this group will not receive access to the DAPHNE chatbot.
Location
- Nationwide Children's HospitalColumbus, Ohio