ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2022
The Feasibility and Acceptability of an mHealth Conversational Agent Designed to Support HIV Self-testing in South Africa: Cross-sectional Study.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mental health of women with HIV: a qualitative meta-synthesis.BMC women's health · 2026Pooled it
- Evidence on Digital HIV Self-Testing From Accuracy to Impact: Updated Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- mHealth Interventions to Promote HIV Self-Testing Among Key Populations: A Systematic Review of Effectiveness and Implementation Outcomes.Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS CarePooled it
- A Conversational Agent for Providing Personalized Preexposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Support: Protocol for Chatbot Implementation and Evaluation.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Acceptability, Usability, and Clinical Appropriateness of an AI-Powered Tool for Linkage to HIV Services After HIV Self-Testing in South Africa: Mixed Methods Evaluation.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Evaluation of an Artificial Intelligence Conversational Chatbot to Enhance HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Uptake: Development and Usability Internal Testing.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- '…it helps me to be able to do the right thing …': pilot of a waiting area chatbot to enhance self-assessment of HIV vulnerability and motivation for PrEP use in Nigeria.BMJ digital health & AI · 2026Article
- The development and use of chatbots in enhancing health care access for underserved and vulnerable populations: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Large language models and global health equity: a roadmap for equitable adoption in LMICs.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2025Review
- Formative evaluation of the acceptance of HIV prevention Artificial Intelligence chatbots by Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in the Southern United States: Focus group study.PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Application of Machine Learning and Emerging Health Technologies in the Uptake of HIV Testing: Bibliometric Analysis of Studies Published From 2000 to 2024.Interactive journal of medical research · 2025Article
- Technology-Assisted Interventions in the Delivery of HIV Prevention, Care, and Treatment Services in Sub-Saharan Africa: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Natural Language Processing Technologies for Public Health in Africa: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- The first AI-based Chatbot to promote HIV self-management: A mixed methods usability study.HIV medicine · 2025Article
- Breaking barriers: harnessing artificial intelligence for a stigma-free, efficient HIV prevention assessment among adults in South Africa.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
- Clients' and providers' perspectives in informing a digital health intervention to improve linkage to care after Index HIV self-testing in Hai and Moshi Districts, Tanzania.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Roles, Users, Benefits, and Limitations of Chatbots in Health Care: Rapid Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Review
- Testing the Feasibility and Acceptability of Using an Artificial Intelligence Chatbot to Promote HIV Testing and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in Malaysia: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR human factors · 2024Article
- Digital Interventions to Enhance PrEP Uptake and Adherence Through Stigma Reduction.Current HIV/AIDS reports · 2023Review
- Chatbots for HIV Prevention and Care: a Narrative Review.Current HIV/AIDS reports · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHIV testing rates in sub-Saharan Africa remain below the targeted threshold, and primary care facilities struggle to provide adequate services. Innovative approaches that leverage digital technologies could improve HIV testing and access to treatment.
objectiveThis study aimed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of Nolwazi_bot. It is an isiZulu-speaking conversational agent designed to support HIV self-testing (HIVST) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
methodsNolwazi_bot was designed with 4 different personalities that users could choose when selecting a counselor for their HIVST session. We recruited a convenience sample of 120 consenting adults and invited them to undertake an HIV self-test facilitated by the Nolwazi_bot. After testing, participants completed an interviewer-led posttest structured survey to assess their experience with the chatbot-supported HIVST.
resultsParticipants (N=120) ranged in age from 18 to 47 years, with half of them being men (61/120, 50.8%). Of the 120 participants, 111 (92.5%) had tested with a human counselor more than once. Of the 120 participants, 45 (37.5%) chose to be counseled by the female Nolwazi_bot personality aged between 18 and 25 years. Approximately one-fifth (21/120, 17.5%) of the participants who underwent an HIV self-test guided by the chatbot tested positive. Most participants (95/120, 79.2%) indicated that their HIV testing experience with a chatbot was much better than that with a human counselor. Many participants (93/120, 77.5%) reported that they felt as if they were talking to a real person, stating that the response tone and word choice of Nolwazi_bot reminded them of how they speak in daily conversations.
conclusionsThe study provides insights into the potential of digital technology interventions to support HIVST in low-income and middle-income countries. Although we wait to see the full benefits of mobile health, technological interventions including conversational agents or chatbots provide us with an excellent opportunity to improve HIVST by addressing the barriers associated with clinic-based HIV testing.
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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.