O04 Perceptions and attitudes of health professionals towards the use of artificial Intelligence chatbots for sexual and reproductive health advice: a mixed-methods study

Abstract

<h3>Introduction</h3> Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled chatbots can provide automated and anonymous sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education, especially for those who are not comfortable discussing their sexual behaviours with health professionals. It is essential to understand chatbot acceptability and feasibility to identify relevant barriers and enablers for the design and implementation of this emerging technology. We aimed to explore the attitudes towards AI-enabled automation and chatbots amongst SRH health professionals. <h3>Methods</h3> An online survey and qualitative interviews with UK SRH professionals, recruited online and via snowball sampling, were conducted in May–July 2020. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. <h3>Results</h3> Amongst 150 respondents (48% Specialist doctor/consultant), 20% perceived chatbots as effective for SRH advice [Mean=2.91, SD=0.98, range:1-5]. Overall, there were positive attitudes towards AI-enabled automation [Mean=4.03, SD=0.87, range:1-7], specifically for booking appointments, condom distribution and signposting/advice, but not for tasks involving safeguarding, risk assessments, virtual diagnosis and emotional support. Five themes were identified: ‘Moving towards a digital age’, ‘Increasing service efficiency by automating routine tasks’, ‘Resistance to change’, ‘Do chatbots improve access and user satisfaction?’, and ‘Can chatbots be trusted? When a ‘human’ approach is better.’ <h3>Discussion</h3> Most sampled health professionals were hesitant about the use of chatbots in SRH services due to concerns about patient safety and the lack of familiarity with AI-enabled automation. Future studies should explore the role of AI chatbots as a supplementary tool for SRH health promotion. Chatbot designers need to address the concerns of health professionals to increase acceptability, engagement and provision of innovative AI-enabled SRH services.

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