Researchers have been working to develop AI chatbots to help both dementia patients and their caregivers, but according to a study recently published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, they’ve still got a ways to go.
As an article in UC Riverside News summed up the findings, “(n)one of the interactive digital apps tested by medical researchers and a computer scientist performed well on all testing criteria, and all the apps contained linguistic biases and usability challenges. The authors conclude that until developers produce evidence-based chatbots that have undergone end user evaluation it will be hard to evaluate their potential to adequately educate and support dementia patients and their caregivers.”
For the study, researchers targeted six chatbots – five Alexa Skills voice apps and one text-based mobile app.
“Half of the apps focused on education about dementia, whereas the other half focused on memory and reminiscence,” explained the study’s authors. “The educational content provided through the apps was generally about the epidemiology and symptoms of dementia and less focused on caregiving skills and activities.”
The apps were assessed for, among other things, their efficiency, performance, functionality, affect, humanity and effectiveness.
“Artificial intelligence chatbots have great potential to improve the communication between patients and the healthcare system, given the shortage of healthcare staff and the complexity of the patient needs,” Vagelis Hristidis, the study’s corresponding author and professor of computer science at the University of California, Riverside, told the UC Riverside News. “This is especially important for dementia patients and caregivers, who keep increasing as the population ages, and face care challenges daily.”
As IT continues, the study noted, more older adults are using a range of technologies to meet a number of chronic health needs, such as increasing health self-efficacy, supporting self-care management, engaging in health promotion, and interacting with health care providers.Previous studies have highlighted that auditory chatbots may be especially useful for older adults because they operate through voice-driven conversation, which may be helpful for those with low computer literacy.
In the specific case of dementia care and caregiving, the report said, “information technologies have specifically been identified as a potential way to overcome the existing challenges of accessing education and emotional support. Caregivers of people with dementia often experience depression, burden, and poor health outcomes because of lack of emotional and caregiving support, knowledge, and coping strategies for the complexity of dementia care.”
This, in turn, can negatively impact the quality of care and outcomes for people with dementia.
“Dementia care is complex and no two cases of dementia are alike. Chatbots have the potential of providing caregivers with instant support that is evidence-based and personalized,” Nicole Ruggiano, the study’s primary author and a professor of social work at the University of Alabama, said in the UC Riverside article.
“While it was promising to find some advancements in this area, it was disappointing to learn that more hasn't been done.”
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