Previously submitted to: Journal of Medical Internet Research (no longer under consideration since Aug 01, 2023)
Date Submitted: Dec 28, 2021
Open Peer Review Period: Dec 28, 2021 - Feb 22, 2022
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Use of chatbots during the coronavirus pandemic: A scoping review and case study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Digital technologies such as chatbots have been widely used during the pandemic. However, the use of such technologies has both benefits and risks.
Objective:
An updated review of COVID-19 chatbots is needed to determine how such technologies can be used to provide maximum health benefits, especially during a pandemic
Methods:
In this study, we reviewed the literature on the use of chatbots during the COVID-19 pandemic, and identifies any issues and gaps in the literature, so the results can inform future scholars on chatbot and emergency response design and evaluation.
Results:
: The results indicate that chatbots have been widely used at both small and national levels across countries. Known uses of chatbots during the pandemic were in population surveillance, case identification, contact tracing, disease management, and general public communication. Although chatbots have offered ease of use and scalability, concerns have been raised, particularly about how chatbots will ensure data privacy and cybersecurity, bias due to limited user representation, and the risks of misinformation. Thus, we highlight both the benefits and risks of chatbots that provide COVID-related information. We found that chatbots offer speed, scalability, accessibility, personalization, and quickness support for self-care while also reducing hospital load and stigma. Despite these benefits, chatbots have some risks and issues to address, including issues pertaining to the actual effectiveness of chatbots, data privacy, cybersecurity, safety risks, and misinformation. There is also a need for a solid infrastructure, guidance, and representative user groups and engagement. Beyond outlining the key benefits and risks of using chatbots during the COVID-19 pandemic, we also highlighted the best practices from the literature and strategies recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organizations to address the key issues in the use of chatbots for pandemic preparedness and response. We also determined the different chatbot strategies used by the WHO to address COVID-19 that are critical in guiding future pandemic preparedness and response efforts worldwide. We found specific use cases showing how interfaces across various sectors, as well as support from different funding sources, are critical to reaching and engaging additional chatbot users and ensuring high chatbot quality.
Conclusions:
Health systems in the future will likely become digital. Additional guidelines and research must be done in the evaluation and use of new technologies, such as chatbots, in emergency preparedness and response. Collaborations across multiple actors are needed to the ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the use of chatbots in the healthcare system.
Citation
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