The Halo Effect: Perceptions of Information Privacy Among Healthcare Chatbot Users

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Informatics
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Patient-facing chatbots offer administrative support and personalized care reminders.
• Little is known about privacy concerns of novel patient-facing chatbots among older adults.
• Previous research suggests older adults may view digital technologies with privacy apprehension.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine patient attitudes toward privacy when sharing information with healthcare chatbots.
• To investigate how age and sociodemographic characteristics influence these privacy concerns.

Main Methods:

• A sequential mixed-methods study involving 3089 patient chatbot users.
• Online surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted.
• Multivariable logistic regression and modified grounded theory were used for data analysis.

Main Results:

• 63.9% of users worried about chatbot privacy; older adults (≥65 years) were less concerned than younger adults (18-34 years).
• Less worry was found among Black, non-Hispanic users and more worry among those with higher education.
• Older adults' lower concern was linked to a 'halo effect' from trusting the healthcare system and lower medical mistrust.

Conclusions:

• Contrary to prior research, older adults express less chatbot privacy concern due to healthcare trust.
• Health systems must proactively maintain and communicate privacy protections to foster trust among all users.
• Building and maintaining user trust is crucial for the adoption of patient-facing chatbots.