Study on the use of healthcare chatbots among young people (17-35) in China during the Omicron Wave of COVID-19: An evaluation of the user experience of and satisfaction with the technology.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Long before the outbreak of COVID-19, chatbots had been playing an increasingly crucial role and gaining growing popularity in healthcare. In the current omicron waves of this pandemic when the most resilient healthcare systems at the time are increasingly being overburdened, these conversational agents (CA) are being resorted to as preferred alternatives for healthcare information. For many people, especially the adolescent and middle-aged, mobile phones are the most favored source of information. As a result of this, it is more important than ever to investigate the user experience of and satisfaction with chatbots on mobile phones. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was twofold: (i) Informed by Deneche & Warren's evaluation framework, Zhu, Janssen, Wang & Liu's measures of variables, and the Theory of Consumption Values, we designed a new assessment model for evaluating the user experience of and satisfaction with chatbots on mobile phones; and (ii) we aimed to validate the newly-developed model and use it to gain an understanding of the user experience of and satisfaction with the popular healthcare chatbots that are available for use by young people aged between 17 and 35 in southeast China in self-diagnosis and acquiring information about COVID-19 and virus variants that are currently spreading. METHODS: First, in order to assess user experience and satisfaction, we identified the assessment model based on relevant literature and the Theory of Consumption Values. Second, the chatbots were pre-screened and selected for investigation. Subsequently, 413 informants were recruited from Nantong University, China. This was followed by a questionnaire survey soliciting the participants' experience of and satisfaction with the selected healthcare chatbots via an Internet questionnaire survey platform (https://www.wjx.cn/). Finally, quantitative and qualitative analyses were made to find the informants' perception. RESULTS: The data collected were highly reliable (cronbach α=0.986) and valid (communalities=0.632~0.823, KMO=0.980, percentage of cumulative variance (rotated)=75.257%, P