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A Chatbot to Meet Parents' Information Needs for Sickle Cell Trait Newborn Screening Results: Multiple Methods
Anne C Madeo1, Courtney Gauchel2, Emerson Borsato2
1Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
|April 30, 2026
Summary
Newborn screening chatbots like NBSchat can reduce parental anxiety and uncertainty by providing quick, reliable information about sickle cell trait results. This tool offers emotional support and reassures parents during the critical newborn screening process.
Area of Science:
- Public Health Interventions
- Digital Health Tools
- Genetics and Genomics
Background:
- Newborn screening (NBS) identifies infants with serious health conditions, but can cause parental anxiety.
- Parents often have unanswered questions and seek emotional support while awaiting clinical appointments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and test NBSchat, an educational chatbot designed for parents of newborns identified with sickle cell trait via NBS.
- To address the emotional support and information needs of parents during the NBS process.
Main Methods:
- A rule-based chatbot (NBSchat) was developed by a multidisciplinary team.
- Qualitative interviews with clinicians and parents informed chatbot design.
- A survey assessed emotional and attitudinal outcomes in parents interacting with NBSchat after viewing a mock NBS result.
Main Results:
- Interviews confirmed parental distress and the need for information and reassurance.
- NBSchat provided accurate information, reduced negative emotions (stress, anxiety), and improved positive emotions.
- Parents found NBSchat convenient, reassuring, and helpful for understanding results.
Conclusions:
- NBSchat is an acceptable tool that improves emotional well-being for parents receiving NBS results.
- The chatbot effectively addresses parental concerns and information gaps.
- Future research will explore chatbot outcomes and implementation in clinical trials.
