Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction

Technological progress, the quest for optimization and the evolution of artificial intelligence have given birth to Chatbots. Also called a conversational agent, a chatbot is an artificial intelligence capable of conducting interactive human conversations. The main advantages of Chatbots are their availability 24/7, their accessibility (a Chatbot can take the form of a contact on Facebook Messenger), and the ease of access to information thanks to the common language imitating human conversation. Our goal was to design a technological tool that involves adolescents in the management of their diabetes via a robotic personal assistant.

Methodology

In order to define the functionalities of the chatbot and to collect the needs of T1D patients in terms of support and continuous learning, a questionnaire was designed. We used Flow XO, a visual chatbot editor that can be deployed on a wide range of websites, applications and social networks. A button to subscribe to our chatbot via Facebook messenger has been added to our service’s website www.jisr.info.

Results

50 young type 1 diabetic patients aged 15 to 18 responded to the questionnaires. The data collected was used to develop the functionalities of the Chatbot. By clicking on the ’Subscribe to our Chatbot’ link, our Chatbot, Karim, is added as a ’Friend’ on Facebook. Karim supports DT1s in interpreting their blood sugar levels, can tell them what to do in the event of hypoglycemia or diabetic ketosis, and can also set reminders and give quick access to relevant information such as emergency numbers.

Conclusion

This Chatbot is an innovative means of health intervention allowing young T1D patients to get more involved in the management of their disease. This is a pilot version which will be enriched with new functionalities over time.