Development and Usability Testing of an Information Needs-Based Chatbot for Individuals With Pathogenic Variants in...

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Digital Health
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Limited access to genetic counseling for Korean individuals with BRCA pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants exists due to professional shortages and lack of reimbursement.
• Few digital health tools cater to the specific information needs of this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a user-centered chatbot, "All about BRCA," for providing individualized information to individuals with BRCA P/LP variants.
• To evaluate the usability of the developed chatbot.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review and web-crawling analysis identified user information needs.
• A rule-based chatbot prototype was developed and validated by healthcare professionals.
• Usability testing was conducted with 19 individuals with BRCA P/LP variants using the modified mHealth App Usability Questionnaire and daily diaries.

Main Results:

• The final chatbot included 10 information categories with 62 predefined responses.
• The mean usability score was 5.7/7, with subscales for ease of use, interface/satisfaction, and usefulness exceeding 5.5.
• User feedback was predominantly positive, highlighting the value of systematic, detailed, and practical information.

Conclusions:

• The "All about BRCA" chatbot demonstrated acceptable usability as a complementary tool.
• It has the potential to mitigate challenges associated with limited consultation time and shortages of genetic experts.
• Future development should focus on enhancing conversational capabilities and information depth.