ArticleJMIR research protocols2020
Effectiveness of Conversational Agents (Virtual Assistants) in Health Care: Protocol for a Systematic Review.
Article in JMIR research protocols, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness of epidural steroid injections for low back pain in older adults: a systematic review.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence Conversational Agents in Health Care: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Bridging Technology and Pretest Genetic Services: Quantitative Study of Chatbot Interaction Patterns, User Characteristics, and Genetic Testing Decisions.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a Conversational Agent Delivering Problem-Solving Therapy for Family Caregivers of Children With a Chronic Health Condition: Multiphase Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Enhancing LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in an AI-Powered Sexual Health Chatbot: User-Centered Design Approach Through a Nonprofit and Academic Partnership.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Assessing the Efficacy of Artificial Intelligence Platforms in Answering Dental Caries Multiple-Choice Questions: A Comparative Study of ChatGPT and Google Gemini Language Models.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- Virtual humans in geriatric care: an integrative review.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2025Review
- LOLATAO-An Artificial-Intelligence-Based Virtual Assistant for Clinical Follow-Up of Patients with Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Undergoing Oral Anticoagulant Therapy (OAT): A Feasibility Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Effects of Experimentally Induced Lower Limb Muscle Fatigue on Healthy Adults' Gait: A Systematic Review.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- From robots to chatbots: unveiling the dynamics of human-AI interaction.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Review
- Implementation of Chatbot Technology in Health Care: Protocol for a Bibliometric Analysis.JMIR research protocols · 2024Article
- Artificial intelligence vs. human coaches: examining the development of working alliance in a single session.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Patient Acceptability of Symptom Screening and Patient Education Using a Chatbot for Autoimmune Inflammatory Diseases: Survey Study.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- The Impact of Generative Conversational Artificial Intelligence on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Community: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- The Use of Voice Assistant for Psychological Assessment Elicits Empathy and Engagement While Maintaining Good Psychometric Properties.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The accuracy of artificial intelligence-based virtual assistants in responding to routinely asked questions about orthodontics.The Angle orthodontist · 2023Article
- Feasibility of the Genetic Information Assistant Chatbot to Provide Genetic Education and Study Genetic Test Adoption Among Pancreatic Cancer Patients at Johns Hopkins Hospital.AMIA Joint Summits on Translational Science proceedings. AMIA Joint Summits on Translational Science · 2023Article
- Investigating Patients' Continuance Intention Toward Conversational Agents in Outpatient Departments: Cross-sectional Field Survey.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
- Interactive Conversational Agents for Health Promotion, Prevention, and Care: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Systematic Scoping Review.JMIR research protocols · 2022Article
- [Expectations of generation Y for digital health innovations].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundConversational agents (also known as chatbots) have evolved in recent decades to become multimodal, multifunctional platforms with potential to automate a diverse range of health-related activities supporting the general public, patients, and physicians. Multiple studies have reported the development of these agents, and recent systematic reviews have described the scope of use of conversational agents in health care. However, there is scarce research on the effectiveness of these systems; thus, their viability and applicability are unclear.
objectiveThe objective of this systematic review is to assess the effectiveness of conversational agents in health care and to identify limitations, adverse events, and areas for future investigation of these agents.
methodsThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols will be used to structure this protocol. The focus of the systematic review is guided by a population, intervention, comparator, and outcome framework. A systematic search of the PubMed (Medline), EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases will be conducted. Two authors will independently screen the titles and abstracts of the identified references and select studies according to the eligibility criteria. Any discrepancies will then be discussed and resolved. Two reviewers will independently extract and validate data from the included studies into a standardized form and conduct quality appraisal.
resultsAs of January 2020, we have begun a preliminary literature search and piloting of the study selection process.
conclusionsThis systematic review aims to clarify the effectiveness, limitations, and future applications of conversational agents in health care. Our findings may be useful to inform the future development of conversational agents and promote the personalization of patient care. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/16934.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.