When Virtual Assistants Meet Teledermatology: Validation of a Virtual Assistant to Improve the Quality of Life of Psoriatic Patients

Surya Roca (), Manuel Almenara, Yolanda Gilaberte, Tamara Gracia-Cazaña, Ana M. Morales Callaghan, Daniel Murciano, José García and Álvaro Alesanco
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Surya Roca: Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Manuel Almenara: Department of Dermatology, Miguel Servet University Hospital, IIS Aragon, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Yolanda Gilaberte: Department of Dermatology, Miguel Servet University Hospital, IIS Aragon, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Tamara Gracia-Cazaña: Department of Dermatology, Miguel Servet University Hospital, IIS Aragon, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Ana M. Morales Callaghan: Department of Dermatology, Miguel Servet University Hospital, IIS Aragon, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Daniel Murciano: Department of Dermatology, Miguel Servet University Hospital, IIS Aragon, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
José García: Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Álvaro Alesanco: Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-18

Abstract: Teledermatology has given dermatologists a tool to track patients’ responses to therapy using images. Virtual assistants, the programs that interact with users through text or voice messages, could be used in teledermatology to enhance the interaction of the tool with the patients and healthcare professionals and the overall impact of the medication and quality of life of patients. As such, this work aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using a virtual assistant for teledermatology and its impact on the quality of life. We conducted surveys with the participants and measured the usability of the system with the System Usability Scale (SUS). A total of 34 participants (30 patients diagnosed with moderate-severe psoriasis and 4 healthcare professionals) were included in the study. The measurement of the improvement of quality of life was done by analyzing Psoriasis Quality of Life (PSOLIFE) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaires. The results showed that, on average, the quality of life improved (from 63.8 to 64.8 for PSOLIFE (with a p -value of 0.66 and an effect size of 0.06) and 4.4 to 2.8 for DLQI (with a p -value of 0.04 and an effect size of 0.31)). Patients also used the virtual assistant to do 52 medical consultations. Moreover, the usability is above average, with a SUS score of 70.1. As supported by MMAS-8 results, adherence also improved slightly. Our work demonstrates the improvement of the quality of life with the use of a virtual assistant in teledermatology, which could be attributed to the sense of security or peace of mind the patients get as they can contact their dermatologists directly within the virtual assistant-integrated system.

Keywords: chat-based interaction; chronic patient support; eHeath; health information technology; mHealth; monitoring virtual assistant; psoriasis; quality of life; remote consultation; teledermatology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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