1237 Optimising Outpatient Care After Paediatric Burns: The Development of a Chatbot To Identify Complications And Provide Clinical Advice. (12th October 2021) - Geoghegan, L
Abstract: Aim: More than 6000 children require specialist care from one of fourteen regional burns services in England and Wales each year. Families often have to travel long distances and may not have access to specialist care with restricted services due to Covid-19. This quality improvement project aimed to: Determine national practice in paediatric burn follow up Investigate whether chatbots have been used in outpatient settings Develop a novel application (a chatbot) that patients and parents can interact with for advice and reassurance following paediatric burns. Method: We conducted a national service evaluation of children's burns services in England and Wales. We then conducted a PRISMA compliant systematic review up to September 2020 to identify studies reporting chatbot use to deliver outpatient care. A chatbot was then developed using Dialogflow to identify complications and provide advice to families. Results: Across England and Wales, 11 children's burns services reported outpatient practice: six services follow up all children at three months, three have variable follow-up and two discharge all patients. Our systematic review identified 10 studies reporting chatbot use although none were used following burns. A frame-based system-focused chatbot was developed in conjunction with expert burns surgeons and patient representatives. Conclusions: Chatbots are effective and acceptable alternatives for in-person follow up. We demonstrate national variation in the provision of outpatient paediatric burn care and have developed a chatbot that can address clinical concerns and provide reassurance to patients and family members. Future studies will determine the acceptability and safety of this chatbot.