JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Chatbot is a timely topic applied in various fields, including medicine and healthcare, for human-like knowledge transfer and communication. Machine learning (ML), a subset of artificial intelligence (AI), has been proven particularly applicable in healthcare with the ability for complex dialogue management and conversational flexibility.

Objective:

This review article reports on the recent advances and applications of chatbot technology in medicine.

Methods:

To provide a comprehensive background, a brief historical overview along with the developmental progress and design characteristics are first introduced. The focus will be in regards to cancer therapy with in-depth discussions and examples for diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, patient support, workflow efficiency, and health promotion. Similar with all forms of technology, risks and challenges will arise before their universal adoption in healthcare. Thus, this paper will explore limitations and areas of concern highlighting ethical, moral, security, technical, regulatory standards, and evaluation issues to explain the hesitancy of implementation.

Results:

Even after addressing these issues and establishing the safety or efficacy of chatbots, the human element in healthcare will not be replaceable. Therefore, chatbots have the potential to be integrated into clinical practice by working alongside health practitioners to reduce costs, refine workflow efficiencies, and improve patient outcomes. Other applications in pandemic support, global health, and education are yet to be fully explored.

Conclusions:

Further research and interdisciplinary collaboration could advance this technology to dramatically improve the quality of care for patients, rebalance workload for clinicians, and revolutionize the practice of medicine.