Social Media and AI in Healthcare: Exploring Patient Perspectives on Chatbots for IBD Management

Aims Social media platforms, online tools that facilitate user engagement and the sharing of content, are being increasingly adopted to manage chronic illnesses. Sentiment Analysis, a developing technology, aids in understanding public sentiments regarding specific health conditions or their treatments. Our study focuses on investigating how patients use Artificial Intelligence to manage Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Methods We utilized the Twitter API, PHP, and RAI to gather data from platforms like Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, and Facebook. We analyzed the sentiment of tweets using the VADER tool. We compiled descriptive statistics and conducted t-tests to compare positive and negative sentiments. A correlation analysis was used to examine changes in sentiment. All data analysis was carried out using SPSS

Results From December 2015 to March 2024, we collected a total of 3,451,110 responses. Of these, 1,221,663 responses were gathered from December 2015 to November 2021, and 2,229,447 responses were collected from January 2022 to March 2024. We observed a significant increase in positive sentiment regarding the use of Chatbots for obtaining information about Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), rising from 51% in the period 2015-2021 to 65% between 2022-2024 (P=0.012, 95% CI)

Conclusions Our research underscores the growing role of AI-driven platforms in healthcare, particularly in managing chronic diseases like IBD. The significant rise in positive sentiment towards the use of chatbots, as evidenced by our data from social media analysis, suggests that patients increasingly appreciate the convenience and accessibility of AI tools. This shift may reflect greater trust in AI's capability to provide reliable health information and support. Further, our findings highlight the potential for chatbots to enhance patient engagement and education, indicating a promising avenue for future innovations in healthcare technology

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
27. März 2025