The application, which researchers are also calling a virtual consultant, takes a form similar to an online customer service chat. A referring clinician can ask the application basic questions related to interventional radiology treatment, which the chatbot will answer in a conversational manner.
To develop the chatbot, the researchers fed the application more than 2,000 data points related to common questions interventional radiologists receive. If the chatbot determines that the question necessitates a human response, it will provide the contact information of a relevant interventional radiologist.
The chatbot prototype is currently being tested at UCLA, with a team of hospitalists, radiation oncologists and interventional radiologists.
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