Development and Implementation of a Personal Virtual Assistant for Patient Engagement and Communication in...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Oncology
• Surgical Care

Background:

• Cancer care complexity increases communication challenges between healthcare providers and patients, affecting treatment adherence, particularly after hospital discharge for surgical procedures.
• Digital health tools offer a promising avenue to improve communication in current discharge protocols.
• This study explores the usability and acceptability of an interactive health platform for patients discharged after oncology-related procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the usability and acceptability of a Personal Virtual Assistant (PVA) system.
• To assess patient adherence to personalized care plans delivered via the PVA.
• To evaluate patient attitudes towards the PVA using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

Main Methods:

• An exploratory cohort study over 4 weeks.
• Patients discharged after oncology procedures received a tablet with an integrated PVA.
• The PVA provided personalized care plans including medication, exercise, symptom surveys, and post-procedural tasks.

Main Results:

• A low dropout rate of 5.8% was observed, with 94.2% of patients completing the study.
• Adherence rates were 78% for medications, 81% for exercises, 61% for surveys, and 58% for specific tasks.
• 80% of patients endorsed the PVA positively across all TAM categories, indicating good ease of use and usefulness.

Conclusions:

• The Personal Virtual Assistant (PVA) shows potential acceptability among patients post-oncology surgery, evidenced by low dropout and fair-to-good adherence.
• Preliminary findings suggest the PVA can support post-discharge care, but larger studies are required for validation.
• Further research is needed to refine the system and confirm its effectiveness in diverse oncology patient populations.