Randomised Controlled Trial of Artificial Intelligence-assisted Health Education

Official title

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Health Education on Patients' Intention to Participate in Clinical Trials: A Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial

Overview

With the rapid advancement of biopharmaceutical technology, clinical trials have become the crucial bridge connecting new drugs from the laboratory to clinical application. Despite the increasing number of clinical trial projects being conducted, nearly all such projects face the common challenge of recruitment difficulties. Subject recruitment constitutes a pivotal stage in clinical trials; the ability to recruit a sufficient number of subjects meeting the trial requirements significantly impacts trial quality and also serves as a key factor influencing trial progress. Hematologic cancers constitute a highly heterogeneous group of malignant diseases originating in the haematopoietic organs and primarily affecting the haematopoietic system. They encompass acute and chronic leukaemias, malignant lymphomas, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, and related disorders. For patients facing treatment decisions, clinical trials represent not only a vital avenue for accessing cutting-edge therapies but also impose heightened demands on their capacity for informed decision-making. Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) based on large language models is rapidly advancing in health education and public health communication. Medical chatbots offer scalable and personalised advantages in delivering health information, promoting behavioural change, and enhancing patient engagement, providing a viable pathway for improving trial literacy and decision support. Accordingly, this study proposes to conduct a clinical trial literacy intervention using AI-powered chatbots among haematological malignancy patients. Through a randomised controlled trial (RCT), it aims to evaluate the impact of AI-assisted health education on patients' understanding of clinical trials and intention to participate. This research seeks to validate the application value of AI technology in health education and explore scalable AI-assisted health education intervention models.

Detailed description

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of artificial intelligence technology in health education, focusing on haematological cancer patients' awareness of and intention to participate in clinical trials. Through an AI-robot-mediated clinical trial science communication intervention, the research will systematically assess its impact on patients' cognitive levels, attitudes, and participation intentions, exploring a scalable new model for AI-assisted health interventions.

Specific objectives include: (1) Investigating current levels of clinical trial awareness and participation attitudes among haematological malignancy patients; (2) Assessing the practical impact of AI-bot-delivered clinical trial awareness interventions on patients' understanding and intention to participate; (3) Exploring the feasibility and scalability of AI-assisted health education in promoting patient engagement in clinical trials.

Interventions

• Device Artificial Intelligence Health Education
  In addition to receiving standard health education, participants underwent clinical trial-specific education delivered via an AI robot. This educational content was designed around fundamental concepts of clinical trials, implementation procedures, clarification of common misconceptions, ethical safeguards, and potential benefits of participation. Its aim was to enhance patients' overall understanding of clinical trials and willingness to participate. The AI robot featured voice interaction capa
• Other Artificial health education
  Received only routine health education delivered by departmental healthcare staff, covering fundamental disease knowledge, treatment protocols, nursing management, and discharge instructions. This education forms part of the hospital's standard clinical practice and typically does not systematically incorporate content related to clinical trials or dedicated educational modules.

Primary outcome measures

• intention to participate [Time frame: The first day of patient enrolment and the seventh day following completion of the one-week intervention]

Secondary outcome measures (1)

• User experience [Time frame: The seventh day following completion of the one-week intervention]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria (1) Aged ≥18 years with clear consciousness; (2) Diagnosed with haematological malignancy meeting clinical treatment criteria (WHO criteria); (3) Capable of understanding health education content and possessing basic communication skills; (4) Willing to participate in this study and sign an informed consent form.

Exclusion criteria

(1) Patients with concomitant cognitive impairment, psychiatric disorders, or other conditions severely affecting comprehension; (2) Anticipated hospital stay of less than 3 days, rendering completion of the intervention unfeasible; (3) End-of-life palliative care; (4) Previous participation in other clinical trial education programmes.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Single blind

Primary purpose

Health services research

Study locations

China · 1 center

• Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University — Wuhan

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07305337 · 0603

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗