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. 2019 Dec 3;19(1):249.
doi: 10.1186/s12911-019-0972-z.

Effectiveness of a chat-bot for the adult population to quit smoking: protocol of a pragmatic clinical trial in primary care (Dejal@)

J F Avila-Tomas  1   2 , E Olano-Espinosa  3 , C Minué-Lorenzo  4 , F J Martinez-Suberbiola  5 , B Matilla-Pardo  6 , M E Serrano-Serrano  7 , E Escortell-Mayor  8   9 ; Group Dej@lo
Collaborators, Affiliations

Effectiveness of a chat-bot for the adult population to quit smoking: protocol of a pragmatic clinical trial in primary care (Dejal@)

J F Avila-Tomas et al. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. .

Abstract

Background: The wide scale and severity of consequences of tobacco use, benefits derived from cessation, low rates of intervention by healthcare professionals, and new opportunities stemming from novel communications technologies are the main factors motivating this project. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of an intervention that helps people cease smoking and increase their nicotine abstinence rates in the long term via a chat-bot, compared to usual practice, utilizing a chemical validation at 6 months.

Methods: Design: Randomized, controlled, multicentric, pragmatic clinical trial, with a 6-month follow-up.

Setting: Healthcare centers in the public healthcare system of the Community of Madrid (Madrid Regional Health Service).

Participants: Smokers > 18 years of age who attend a healthcare center and accept help to quit smoking in the following month. N = 460 smokers (230 per arm) who will be recruited prior to randomization. Intervention group: use of a chat-bot with evidence-based contents to help quit smoking.

Control group: Usual treatment (according to the protocol for tobacco cessation by the Madrid Regional Health Service Main variable: Continuous nicotine withdrawal with chemical validation (carbon monoxide in exhaled air). Intention-to-treat analysis. Difference between groups in continuous abstinence rates at 6 months with their corresponding 95% confidence interval. A logistic regression model will be built to adjust for confounding factors.

Results: First expected results in January 2020.

Discussion: Providing science-based evidence on the effectiveness of clinical interventions via information technologies, without the physical presence of a professional, is essential. In addition to being more efficient, the characteristics of these interventions can improve effectiveness, accessibility, and adherence to treatment. From an ethics perspective, this new type of intervention must be backed by scientific evidence to circumvent pressures from the market or particular interests, improve patient safety, and follow the standards of correct practices for clinical interventions.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, reference number NCT03445507.

Keywords: Cell phone use; Chat-bot; Dialog systems; Primary care; Smoking; Tobacco cessation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Protocol
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pat plot intervention Dej@lo
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence . Smoking cessation services in primary care, pharmacies, local authorities and workplaces, particularly for manual working groups, pregnant women and hard to reach communities. NICE public health guidance 10. London: NICE; 2008.
    1. Treating tobacco use and dependence: 2008 update - NCBI Bookshelf [Internet]. [cited 2012 Sep 28].
    1. Minué-Lorenzo C, Olano-Espinosa E, del Cura-González I, Vizcaíno-Sánchez J, Camarelles-Guillem F, Granados-Garrido J, et al. Subsidized pharmacological treatment for smoking cessation by the Spanish public health system: a randomized, pragmatic,clinical trial by clusters. Tob Induc Dis. 2019;17:64. doi: 10.18332/tid/111368. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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