Intelligent Conversational Agents in Mental Healthcare Services: A Thematic Analysis of User Perceptions

IF 2.4 Q2 INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE

Pacific Asia Journal of the Association for Information Systems Pub Date : 2020-06-30 DOI:10.17705/1PAIS.12201

A. V. Prakash, Saini Das

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引用次数: 34

Abstract

Abstract Background: The emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Conversational Agents (CA) capable of delivering evidence-based psychotherapy presents a unique opportunity to solve longstanding issues such as social stigma and demand-supply imbalance associated with traditional mental health care services. However, the emerging literature points to several socio-ethical challenges which may act as inhibitors to the adoption in the minds of the consumers. We also observe a paucity of research focusing on determinants of adoption and use of AI-based CAs in mental healthcare. In this setting, this study aims to understand the factors influencing the adoption and use of Intelligent CAs in mental healthcare by examining the perceptions of actual users. Method: The study followed a qualitative approach based on netnography and used a rigorous iterative thematic analysis of publicly available user reviews of popular mental health chatbots to develop a comprehensive framework of factors influencing the user’s decision to adopt mental healthcare CA. Results: We developed a comprehensive thematic map comprising of four main themes, namely, perceived risk, perceived benefits, trust, and perceived anthropomorphism, along with its 12 constituent subthemes that provides a visualization of the factors that govern the user’s adoption and use of mental healthcare CA. Conclusions: Insights from our research could guide future research on mental healthcare CA use behavior. Additionally, it could also aid designers in framing better design decisions that meet consumer expectations. Our research could also guide healthcare policymakers and regulators in integrating this technology into formal healthcare delivery systems. Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol12/iss2/1/ Recommended Citation Prakash, Ashish Viswanath and Das, Saini (2020) "Intelligent Conversational Agents in Mental Healthcare Services: A Thematic Analysis of User Perceptions," Pacific Asia Journal of the Association for Information Systems: Vol. 12: Iss. 2, Article 1. DOI: 10.17705/1pais.12201

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精神卫生保健服务中的智能会话代理:用户感知的专题分析

背景:新兴的基于人工智能(AI)的会话代理(CA)能够提供基于证据的心理治疗，为解决与传统精神卫生保健服务相关的社会耻辱和供需失衡等长期存在的问题提供了独特的机会。然而，新兴的文献指出了几个社会伦理挑战，这可能会阻碍消费者的采纳。我们还观察到，在精神卫生保健中采用和使用基于人工智能的CAs的决定因素方面的研究缺乏。在此背景下，本研究旨在通过调查实际用户的感知，了解影响智能ca在精神卫生保健中采用和使用的因素。方法:本研究采用了基于网络学的定性方法，并对流行心理健康聊天机器人的公开用户评论进行了严格的迭代主题分析，以开发影响用户决定采用心理健康CA的因素的综合框架。我们开发了一个全面的专题地图，包括四个主题，即感知风险、感知利益、信任和感知拟人化，以及它的12个组成子主题，提供了一个可视化的因素，控制用户采用和使用精神卫生保健CA。结论:我们的研究见解可以指导未来对精神卫生保健CA使用行为的研究。此外，它还可以帮助设计师制定更好的设计决策，以满足消费者的期望。我们的研究还可以指导医疗政策制定者和监管机构将这项技术整合到正式的医疗服务系统中。可在:https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol12/iss2/1/推荐引文Prakash, Ashish Viswanath和Das, Saini (2020)“心理保健服务中的智能对话代理:用户感知的专题分析”，《亚太信息系统协会杂志》，第12卷:第2期，第1条。pais.12201 DOI: 10.17705/1

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来源期刊

Pacific Asia Journal of the Association for Information Systems INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE-

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

33.30%

发文量