'Parentbot - A Digital healthcare Assistant (PDA)': A mobile application-based perinatal intervention for parents:
Joelle Yan Xin Chua1, Mahesh Choolani2, Cornelia Yin Ing Chee3
1Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Patient Education and Counseling
|May 28, 2023
Summary
Parentbot, a mobile app with chatbot features, was developed as a digital healthcare assistant for Singaporean parents. User testing showed a positive experience, informing further enhancements for this digital parenting support tool.
Area of Science:
- Digital health interventions
- Mobile health (mHealth)
- Parenting support
Background:
- Parenting support programs are crucial during the perinatal period.
- Mobile applications offer a scalable platform for delivering health interventions.
- Digital healthcare assistants can provide accessible, on-demand support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the development of Parentbot, a mobile application-based parenting support program.
- To integrate chatbot features for enhanced user interaction.
- To cater to multi-racial Singaporean parents during the perinatal period.
Main Methods:
- Development guided by information systems research framework and design thinking.
- Tuckman's model of team development informed the process.
- User acceptability testing (UAT) involved 11 adults, using custom evaluation forms and the User Experience Questionnaire.
Main Results:
- The development framework facilitated the creation of a user-centered PDA prototype.
- UAT indicated a positive overall user experience with the digital healthcare assistant.
- Participant feedback was incorporated to refine and improve the PDA.
Conclusions:
- The development process of this mobile parenting intervention offers valuable insights for future studies.
- While effectiveness is under evaluation, the development methodology is highlighted.
- Key factors like planning, funding, team cohesion, and leadership are crucial for intervention development.
