Reengineering eADVICE for long waitlists: a tale of two systems and conditions

Deborah Richards*, Patrina H. Y. Caldwell, Amal Abdulrahman, Amy von Huben, Karen Waters, Karen M. Scott

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

Long outpatient waiting times pose a significant global challenge in healthcare, impacting children and families with implications for health outcomes. This paper presents the eHealth system called eADVICE (electronic Advice and Diagnosis Via the Internet following Computerised Evaluation) that is designed to address waiting list challenges for paediatricians. Initially designed for children’s incontinence, the system’s success in terms of health goals and user experience led to its adaptation for paediatric sleep problems. This paper focuses on user experiences and the development of a working alliance with the virtual doctor, alongside health outcomes based on a randomised controlled trial (N = 239) for incontinence. When reengineering eADVICE to sleep disorders, the promising results regarding the reciprocal relationship between user experience and building a working alliance encouraged a focus on the further development of the embodied conversational agent (ECA) component. This involved tailoring the ECA discussion to patient cognition (i.e., beliefs and goals) to further improve engagement and outcomes. The proposed eADVICE framework facilitates adaptation across paediatric conditions, offering a scalable model to enhance access and self-efficacy during care delays.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2785
Pages (from-to)1-20
Number of pages20
JournalElectronics
Volume13
Issue number14
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Jul 2024

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2024. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

  • eADVICE framework
  • embodied conversational agent
  • interactive website
  • paediatric incontinence
  • sleep disorders
  • waitlists

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