The ENGAGE study: evaluation of a conversational virtual agent that provides tailored pre-test genetic education to cancer patients
Abstract
Purpose Novel approaches are needed to ensure all patients with cancer have access to quality genetic education before genetic testing to enable informed treatment decisions. The purpose of this study was to test the use of an artificial intelligence (AI) intervention for the delivery of genetic education by non-genetic providers to patients with cancer undergoing active treatment. Methods A conversational AI-based application was developed on the HealthFAX platform to provide tailored genetic education to patients with cancer and tested at Johns Hopkins Hospital between April 2021 and Feb 2022. Patients' responses around the adoption, use, and experience of the AI application were assessed. Results Out of 64 individuals who consented to the study, 51 accessed the tool. The responding participants had a mean age of 61 years (ranging from 30-90 years) with 39 individuals undergoing active treatment for breast cancer and 12 for advanced prostate cancer. All patients chose to complete the tool at home. The median time between study enrollment and AI application initiation was 1 day, and the median time to complete the application was 24 min. All participants in their survey responses felt that the tool was secure, easy to use, liked the convenience of viewing it at home, and felt it provided valuable information. Eighteen percent of participants viewed the application with a family member. Ninety-eight percent of the participants completed their genetic education prior to receiv…
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The visual design of CAs was user-friendly, allowing patients to navigate the interface with ease.
“The visual design of CAs was user-friendly, allowing patients to navigate the interface with ease (Visvanathan et al. 2023).”
From The Usability and Experience of Artificial Intelligence‐Based Conversational Agents in Health Education for Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review (2026) · cites this paper as Visvanathan et al. 2023
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Fitzpatrick, K. K., Darcy, A., & Vierhile, M. (2017) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/mental.7785 · Cited by 2,730 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The use of virtual assistants have been formally evaluated in a variety of clinical situations including patients diagnosed with certain mental health disorders, type 2 diabetes, and chronic pain [21–24].”
Hauser-Ulrich, S., Künzli, H., Meier-Peterhans, D., & Kowatsch, T. (2020) · JMIR mHealth and uHealth · doi:10.2196/15806 · Cited by 210 · see citing works
Philip, P., Micoulaud-Franchi, J.-A., Sagaspe, P., Sevin, E. D., Olive, J., Bioulac, S., & Sauteraud, A. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/srep42656 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
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Li, K., Wu, S., Zhang, Y., Zhu, B., Qi, Z., Hou, S., & Wang, W. (2026) · Journal of Clinical Nursing · doi:10.1111/jocn.70020 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
- Authors
- Visvanathan, K., Petry, D., McCullough, M. S., May, B., Tenkasi, R., Sharma, N., Klein, C. A., Johnson, A., Killian, G., Camp, M., Paller, C. J., Couzi, R., Wilkinson, M., Jacobs, L., Lange, J., Jelovac, D., Carducci, M. A., Habibi, M., Naik, G., & Kotwaliwale, A.
- Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Benedictine University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Visvanathan, Kala
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Cancer Survivorship
- Published
- 2023-12-08
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 623-632
- ISSN
- 1932-2259 (ISSN-L)
- 1932-2267
- OpenAlex
- W4389485950
- Cited by
- 11
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3
- FWCI
- 0.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Cancer Survivorship (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Cancer Institute (P30CA006973)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Health Informatics › Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › BRCA gene mutations in cancer
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Keywords
- artificial intelligence interventions, cancer patients, genetic testing, breast cancer, prostate cancer, patient satisfaction, usability, pathogenic variant identification, cancer survivors
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Artificial Intelligence, Female, Genetic Counseling, Genetic Testing, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasms, Patient Education as Topic
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