Communicating With Children With Cancer: Development of a Chatbot-Based Educational Support Tool

Effective communication between parents and children is crucial in reducing distress when a child has cancer. Technology, particularly chatbots, can facilitate this communication and provide parents with support. We have developed a chatbot to support parents of children with cancer. Using advanced natural language processing, it provides empathetic, age-appropriate, and informative responses. We created the chatbot using the Dialogflow platform and integrated it into a mobile app and website to ensure broad accessibility. This multi-platform integration provides consistent support, regardless of the device or location used. We conducted a qualitative comparative analysis of our chatbot against other chatbots, such as ChatGPT-4 and Microsoft Copilot. This analysis was based on five standard criteria for the human evaluation of chatbots. In general, our chatbot offered more personalized and targeted support for childhood cancer. Unlike other systems that provide generic responses, our chatbot uses a friendlier tone and tailors its responses based on factors such as the child's age. This project represents a significant advancement in the use of technology to address the complex communication needs associated with childhood cancer. To our knowledge, it is the first chatbot designed specifically for Portuguese-speaking parents. It offers parents personalized, accessible support and provides a scalable, cost-effective solution that complements the efforts of healthcare professionals. In settings with limited resources, the chatbot is an invaluable tool for bridging the gap between medical consultations.