Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40697845›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2025

Empowering tomorrow's public health researchers and clinicians to develop digital health interventions using chatbots, virtual reality, and other AI technologies.

W Scott Comulada, Catherine McQueen, Cathy M Lang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

W Scott ComuladaDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute Center for Community Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Catherine McQueenDepartment of Emergency Medicine and Informatics, Institute for Prediction Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.
Cathy M LangDepartment of Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

Funding

Women's CancersP30CA016042 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Robert Damoiseaux · 1985 to 2026
$134.5M
UCLA Rapid, Relevant, Rigorous Implementation Science HubP30MH058107 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Sung-Jae Lee · 1997 to 2026
$53.5M
A conversational agent to support remote care for individuals with substance use disorderR44DA050218 · NIDA · DIMAGI, INC. · PI HO, Y. XIAN, JACKSON, JONATHAN LEE · 2023 to 2024
$1.8M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA016042NIDA NIH HHS R44 DA050218NIMH NIH HHS P30 MH058107
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based digital health interventions incorporating technologies like chatbots and augmented/virtual reality are reshaping the healthcare delivery landscape. The rollout of these technologies warrants updated graduate curricula to train future healthcare professionals. In response, the authors incorporated additional topics relevant to digital health intervention development into a graduate-level digital health communication course and evaluated student feedback. Methods: The authors developed four lectures on two-/one-way digital health messaging strategies, AI/large language models, chatbots, and augmented/virtual reality, and a chatbot development tutorial as a lab. They evaluated students' perceptions of the course and the benefits of the new content after course completion through standard and supplemental course evaluations. Results: Eleven of 16 enrolled students completed the course evaluation, and 8 completed the supplemental survey. Most students were from the school of public health and reported female gender. One of 8 students completing the survey reported prior experience creating chatbot and AR/VR content. The overall average course rating was high (7.45 out of 9). Open-ended survey responses about the new content were mixed with enthusiasm and questions about its relevance over content on traditional communication modalities in preparation for public health work. Conclusion: Student feedback underscored course content value, along with guidance to better emphasize how chatbots and augmented/virtual reality are relevant to clinical and public health practices. More applications relevant for diverse populations could elucidate the value of new technologies for students who will develop digital-based interventions. Applications focusing on commonalities could also solidify students' understanding of intervention development principles that will remain, as technologies evolve.

Indexed as

Artificial IntelligenceEmpowermentPublic HealthResearch PersonnelVirtual RealityAdultCurriculumDigital HealthFemaleGenerative Artificial IntelligenceHumansMaleSurveys and Questionnairesartificial intelligencechatbotdigital health interventionhealth communicationvirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID40697845
PMCPMC12279801

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.