TY  - JOUR
AU  - Laymouna, Moustafa
AU  - Ma, Yuanchao
AU  - Lessard, David
AU  - Schuster, Tibor
AU  - Engler, Kim
AU  - Lebouché, Bertrand
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/7/23
TI  - Roles, Users, Benefits, and Limitations of Chatbots in Health Care: Rapid Review
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e56930
VL  - 26
KW  - chatbot
KW  - conversational agent
KW  - conversational assistant
KW  - user-computer interface
KW  - digital health
KW  - mobile health
KW  - electronic health
KW  - telehealth
KW  - artificial intelligence
KW  - AI
KW  - health information technology
AB  - Background: Chatbots, or conversational agents, have emerged as significant tools in health care, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and digital technology. These programs are designed to simulate human conversations, addressing various health care needs. However, no comprehensive synthesis of health care chatbots’ roles, users, benefits, and limitations is available to inform future research and application in the field. Objective: This review aims to describe health care chatbots’ characteristics, focusing on their diverse roles in the health care pathway, user groups, benefits, and limitations. Methods: A rapid review of published literature from 2017 to 2023 was performed with a search strategy developed in collaboration with a health sciences librarian and implemented in the MEDLINE and Embase databases. Primary research studies reporting on chatbot roles or benefits in health care were included. Two reviewers dual-screened the search results. Extracted data on chatbot roles, users, benefits, and limitations were subjected to content analysis. Results: The review categorized chatbot roles into 2 themes: delivery of remote health services, including patient support, care management, education, skills building, and health behavior promotion, and provision of administrative assistance to health care providers. User groups spanned across patients with chronic conditions as well as patients with cancer; individuals focused on lifestyle improvements; and various demographic groups such as women, families, and older adults. Professionals and students in health care also emerged as significant users, alongside groups seeking mental health support, behavioral change, and educational enhancement. The benefits of health care chatbots were also classified into 2 themes: improvement of health care quality and efficiency and cost-effectiveness in health care delivery. The identified limitations encompassed ethical challenges, medicolegal and safety concerns, technical difficulties, user experience issues, and societal and economic impacts. Conclusions: Health care chatbots offer a wide spectrum of applications, potentially impacting various aspects of health care. While they are promising tools for improving health care efficiency and quality, their integration into the health care system must be approached with consideration of their limitations to ensure optimal, safe, and equitable use. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2024/1/e56930
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/56930
DO  - 10.2196/56930
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/56930
ER  -