Virtual cystic fibrosis doctor: design, development, and user experience pilot study

Background: Patients often contact the cystic fibrosis (CF) multidisciplinary team (MDT) via phone to express health-related concerns in between the standard quarterly review. This often requires a phone evaluation before organising an unscheduled appointment. These sporadic interactions heavily affect available resources. This strain on resources will be further impacted when considering that data from the European CF registry predicts that there will be a 75% increase in the adult CF population by 2025. Furthering this, CF services are increasingly more strained now during the global Covid-19 pandemic. Objective: This research first sets about to design and develop a Virtual Doctor system based on the expertise of a MDT through multiple consultations. Next, pilot data pertaining to user acceptance and experience with using this novel technology is gathered. We therefore aim to investigate if the use of such technology can be beneficial in a specific clinical setting. Method: The final collaborative-design of the Virtual Doctor comprises several technical features and is primarily a voice synthesis system allowing the patient to interact with natural language. The virtual doctor asks the patient questions regarding their health concerns and can collect real-time clinical metrics such as FEV1, oxygen saturation, temperature. The patients’ responses and metrics are then compared to baseline values calculating a score which stratifies a response time from the CF team. This information is then collated in a report and sent to the CF team for action. Future works: Initial stress testing of the technical performance is now complete. Supportive visual media to improve coaching of using clinical devices have now been implemented in preparation for patient pilot testing which is currently ongoing. It is anticipated that a virtual system such as the Virtual Doctor will become more accessible and acceptable to patients, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.