AllianceChicago Publishes Digital Intervention Study Using Chatbots to Increase Well-Child Visits and Immunizations

QliqSOFT connects vulnerable populations to healthcare services

AllianceChicago, a national network of more than 70 community health centers (CHCs) across 19 states, announced the publication of an quality improvement focused article titled “CHEC-UP: A digital intervention to reduce disparities in well-child and immunization completion in community health” in Telehealth & Medicine Today. The project focus was made possible with the donation of QliqSOFT’s Quincy artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots.

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“By engaging patients and caregivers, chatbots present the potential to proactively engage patients in care, optimize vaccination uptake and realize one of society’s greatest public health achievements ─ decreasing the spread of communicable diseases.”

Authors are: Nivedita Mohanty, MD, Chief Research Officer, AllianceChicago; Ta-Yun Yang, MS, Research Data Scientist, AllianceChicago; Jennifer Morrison, APN, MPH, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Research Scientist, AllianceChicago; Tania Hossain, MD, MPH, Pediatrician, Tapestry 360 Health; Andrea Wilson, Innovation Strategist, AllianceChicago; and Abbey Ekong, Research Manager, AllianceChicago.

Well-child visits and immunizations among children in the U.S. declined at the pandemic’s onset and vulnerable populations have been disproportionately affected.¹ The article presents the results of a six-month research pilot named the Child Health Engagement and Coaching Using Patient-centered Innovation (CHEC-UP) project. The idea for CHEC-UP was conceived as part of a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) challenge to improve vaccination rates.²

From May 24, 2021 to November 30, 2021, community healthcare providers and staff tested an innovative mechanism to use AI chatbots to engage caregivers in evidence-based preventive care for children. They provided access of Quincy’s conversational chatbots to in-network parents and guardians who serve approximately 10,500 children, the majority of who identify as racial and ethnic minorities.

The human-centered digital outreach, which did not require an app, reminded families in their preferred language of upcoming well-child visits and immunizations, provided anticipatory guidance materials from the CDC before the visit to enrich dialogue, and facilitated easy appointment scheduling of babies and children for well-child visits.

The CHEC-UP study’s measurable results demonstrated how chatbots can be used innovatively to improve health disparities in a patient-centered manner. Key findings revealed:

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• Chatbots facilitated a relative increase in well-child visits and immunizations by 27% in the intervention group who engaged with the chatbot.
• Well-child visits and immunizations in the intervention group demonstrated an absolute increase of 13% compared to the usual care group.
• Survey results and patient and clinician interviews indicated a high level of satisfaction using the chatbot. In addition to experiencing a favorable perception of the chatbots, patients also identified future use cases for chatbots to improve health and well-being.

“We appreciate QliqSOFT’s generous contributions to challenge the traditional convention of how community health centers engage patients and families,” said lead author Dr. Mohanty. “By engaging patients and caregivers, chatbots present the potential to proactively engage patients in care, optimize vaccination uptake and realize one of society’s greatest public health achievements ─ decreasing the spread of communicable diseases.”

“We at QliqSOFT believe in harnessing the power of digital technology for the greater good,” said Krishna Kurapati, founder and CEO of QliqSOFT. “We’re proud to support AllianceChicago and all community health centers nationwide in disrupting traditional healthcare through digital transformation. Our goal is to help providers expand access to care services to populations who live in disadvantaged communities from any smart device or desktop computer.”

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