Scoping Review of Chatbot-Based Approaches to Cancer Patient Education

Patient education with interactive tools such as chatbots plays a critical role in improving health outcomes. As a number of studies examined the application of chatbots for educating cancer patients, this study aimed to review different aspects of using this technology in cancer patient education.

A scoping review was conducted using the PRISMA-ScR framework to investigate different applications of chatbots for cancer patient education. Relevant publications were found between 2014 and 2023 via thorough searches in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, ProQuest, and the Cochrane Library. The screening process was completed using a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Then, relevant data were extracted, and the results were summarized in tables and reported descriptively.

Overall, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies examined the use of chatbots for cancer patient education. Seven studies evaluated the design and usability of and user attitudes towards chatbots, while three studies investigated the accuracy and reliability of chatbot responses. Chatbots were available via mobile apps (n = 4), web-based tools (n = 2), desktop applications (n = 2), and messaging platforms (n = 3), and some studies provided more than one communication channel. Reported clinical impacts included a decrease in mortality rates and enhanced healthcare outcomes and quality of life for patients, while nonclinical impacts encompassed a decrease in workload for care providers and providing them with the required information. Some challenges included technical limitations, insufficient digital literacy, limited accessibility, and the inability to replace human interactions.

This study provided an overview of chatbot applications in cancer patient education. Future research should focus on identifying practical strategies for chatbot design and implementation, along with rigorous evaluations of their clinical and nonclinical effectiveness in cancer patient education.

This study contributed to identifying applications and challenges of using chatbots in cancer patient education. The results can help to improve the development of chatbots, especially for educating patients with cancer.