“Let's chat!” Piloting a digital chatbot for HIV prevention among cisgender women and transgender men in Nigeria

Abstract

Awareness and uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a highly efficacious medication for HIV prevention, remains low in many sub-Saharan African countries. This study explored the acceptability and feasibility of an HIV prevention chatbot tailored for cisgender women and transgender men in Lagos, Nigeria. The chatbot was developed and implemented in the Nigerian healthcare context using participatory approaches engaging HIV healthcare providers and representatives from the target populations to ensure that the content was appropriate, comprehensible, and non-stigmatizing. The chatbot included information about PrEP, HIV risk/ vulnerabilities, and self-assessment guidelines. The pilot was conducted among 150 participants (132 cisgender women and 18 transgender men) recruited at public health facilities and community health clinics. The chatbot was well-received by clients and healthcare providers and has the potential for rapid scale-up to facilitate PrEP uptake among HIV vulnerable populations. Participants reported the chatbot was easy to understand (97%), a good way to learn health information (99%), and that they would recommend it to others (96%). Participants appreciated the confidentiality of the chatbot, the conversational prompts and offered suggestions to make the chatbot more accessible and user-friendly. Most participants (92%) reported that they learned new information about HIV from the chatbot.