Trust and verification in AI-enabled physician chatbots for chronic disease management: evidence from digital health...

Advances in digital health technologies have transformed how individuals with chronic diseases seek and use health information. Patients increasingly rely on online sources, including search engines, social media, and messaging applications, to understand symptoms and manage chronic conditions. However, these digital environments can also expose users to misinformation or conflicting advice. Artificial intelligence (AI) enabled tools and mobile health (mHealth) services have emerged to assist patients in identifying symptoms, verifying health information, and supporting timely health decisions. Despite these developments, limited conceptual work has examined how individuals with chronic diseases integrate such tools into their health information-seeking and decision-making processes.

This study aimed to develop and empirically illustrate a model explaining how individuals with chronic diseases seek and verify digital health information using AI-enabled tools and how these processes influence trust and health-related decision-making.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among adults aged ≥ 18 years diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension. Participants were recruited through chronic disease support groups on Facebook and WhatsApp. The survey assessed digital health information-seeking behavior, verification practices, trust in AI-enabled physician chatbots and national mHealth services, and their role in health-related decision-making. Descriptive statistics and visualization analyses were conducted using R.

Health information seeking occurred across multiple digital platforms, with considerable overlap between messaging applications, social media, and web-based sources. Participants reported using AI physician chatbots and national mHealth services mainly to verify health information encountered online. Trust in AI diagnostic support tools was moderate, indicating cautious but active engagement. Most participants used these tools to support clinical consultations rather than replace professional medical advice.

Verification behavior and trust play key roles in how individuals with chronic diseases engage with digital health information. AI-enabled mHealth tools may function as complementary decision-support resources that help patients verify information and interpret symptoms while supporting informed health decisions alongside traditional healthcare services.