CASE STUDY
Development of a chatbot to support successful transition to adult care of young people with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
TRANSITION
THEME
UNMET NEED
29,000 children and young people (CYP) in the UK live with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and it is the second most common condition affecting CYP. When CYP ‘transition’ to adult healthcare, they are expected to self-manage their medication, diet, and appointments without reminders and know how to question clinicians about their treatment. However, many CYP lack the confidence and knowledge of how to do this.
PROJECT CONCEPT / SOLUTION
Chatbots can help boost confidence and self-management of conditions, providing CYP with clinically approved NHS advice in a user friendly format. Digital platforms such as chatbots have the ability to provide CYP with easily accessible psychosocial, medical, and educational/vocational support in a format they are familiar with, in ways that aren’t often achieved during traditional clinical appointments, and in a format that is available 24/7.
CYP have indicated that they would feel confident using a T1DM chatbot which had been programmed by NHS professionals. The chatbot was therefore developed to feature advice and guidance for patients, monitored by NHS health professionals, ensuring that young people are viewing accurate information.
SUPPORT PROVIDED
ACCESS TO NHS AND NIHR INFRASTRUCTURE
Our team facilitated a collaboration between four NHS Trusts, in which participants were recruited to the study. The Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust Clinical Research Facility provided the research governance for this project.
PUBLIC AND PATIENT INVOLVEMENT
Our team helped to facilitate an iterative co-design development process, in which CYP were consulted about the design and content of the chatbot at every stage. Efforts were then made by the chatbot developers to address the needs and requirements of CYP.
FUNDING
Our team collaborated with the wider project team to write the funding application for this project, which leveraged over £800,000 in funding from the NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
One of our project managers was assigned to this project to oversee all work packages and ensure the protocol was followed and timelines adhered to. Professor Paul Dimitri, Director of NIHR CYP MedTech / the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health, was the Chief Investigator for this project.
FUNDING
This project was funded by an NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Product Development Award (£800,000), with an additional costed extension due to delays caused by COVID-19 (£79,000).
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT
BEFORE SUPPORT
BASIC IDEA
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT
PROTOTYPE VALIDATION
CLINICAL TESTING
REGULATORY APPROVAL
MANUFACTURING
COMMERCIALLY / PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
CURRENT STAGE
BASIC IDEA
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT
PROTOTYPE VALIDATION
CLINICAL TESTING
REGULATORY APPROVAL
MANUFACTURING
COMMERCIALLY / PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
POTENTIAL IMPACT
T1DM is a serious, lifelong health condition, affecting millions worldwide. Poorly controlled T1DM can have life threatening complications, leading to potentially disabling and chronic complications.
The highest rate of complications is seen in 15-20 year olds (during the transition from paediatric to adult health services). Improving condition self-management and knowledge of the consequences of poor self-management is therefore critical for ensuring that fewer young people develop these devastating health complications, which have high economic and long-term quality of life impacts.
NEXT STEPS
The chatbot has been through an iterative co-design process and short feasibility study. The team have analysed the data from the focus groups/interviews and questionnaires to gauge young people’s experience of the chatbot, and are currently preparing the study for publication.
The results from the feasibility study will inform further funding applications, including a larger multi-centre clinical trial.
PARTNERS