Overview
Patient experience is a pivotal measure of healthcare quality, reflecting how patients perceive the care they receive. In China, policymakers have increasingly embraced artificial intelligence (AI) to improve outpatient services, with conversational agents (chatbots) playing a key role. These AI-assisted tools collect patient information before visits, streamline physician workflows, and may improve satisfaction and perceived quality of care.
Context and Rationale
Historically, patient experience has been linked to outcomes like safety and effectiveness. In outpatient settings, clear communication and timely access to information are essential. The Chinese government’s push toward digital transformation has accelerated AI adoption in health services, including in tertiary public hospitals in economically developed regions. Conversational agents are designed to query patients about symptoms, medical history, allergies, and other pertinent data, then transmit structured reports to physicians for faster, more focused consultations.
What Are AI-Assisted Conversational Agents?
These are AI programs that engage patients in dialog via mobile apps or hospital portals before a consultation. They capture condition details, symptoms, and past medical history and present this information in a physician-friendly format at the point of care. Studies suggest that such agents can reduce history-taking time and improve consultation efficiency, potentially boosting patient experience when used consistently.
Cross-Sectional Evidence from China
A recent cross-sectional study in China evaluated whether AI-assisted conversational agents used during outpatient visits were associated with better patient experiences related to physicians. Using a streamlined outpatient experience questionnaire, researchers compared users and nonusers of conversational agents across four dimensions: physician-patient communication, health information, short-term outcomes, and general satisfaction. The overall score reflected 19 related items, with higher scores indicating a better experience.
Key Findings
- Users of AI-assisted conversational agents showed significantly higher overall patient experience scores related to physicians compared with nonusers.
- Improvements were observed across all four dimensions: physician-patient communication, access to health information, short-term outcomes, and general satisfaction.
- After adjusting for confounders (demographics and visit details), the use of conversational agents was associated with an average 7.5% increase in the patient experience score, with a robust effect size (standardized beta ≈ 0.205).
- Self-rated health status also influenced patient experience, with those reporting better health experiencing higher scores.
These results suggest that AI-assisted conversational agents not only collect richer pre-visit information but also facilitate more targeted conversations, contributing to higher satisfaction and perceived quality of care. Importantly, the study highlighted the potential for AI to streamline outpatient workflows in urban centers, with implications for broader deployment across regions.
Implications for Practice
For hospitals, integrating conversational agents into existing mobile apps and hospital systems can:
- Provide structured, pre-consultation data to clinicians, helping them prepare for patient encounters.
- Enhance communication efficiency and patient engagement, leading to clearer explanations and better understanding of health information.
- Improve perceived short-term outcomes and overall satisfaction with care.
However, adoption should be accompanied by attention to digital literacy, equity of access, and data privacy. Hospitals in less-developed regions may require government support or incentives to scale these tools effectively. Ongoing evaluation using standardized patient-experience measures is essential to monitor impact and guide improvements.
Limitations and Future Directions
The cited study relied on self-reported data, which may introduce recall or selection biases. Participation could also be influenced by digital literacy and attitudes toward technology. Future research should explore causal effects, long-term outcomes, and mechanisms by which AI-assisted conversational agents enhance patient experience, including whether improvements translate into better clinical outcomes.
Conclusion
The use of AI-assisted conversational agents in outpatient departments shows promise for improving the patient experience related to physicians in China. By enabling better communication, richer health information exchange, and higher overall satisfaction, these tools can contribute to a more efficient, patient-centered healthcare system. Policymakers and hospital leaders should consider scaled deployment, with attention to equity and continuous evaluation to maximize benefits for all patients.
