Using Gout Buddy to Enhance Gout Management

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

GOUT Buddy, an AI chatbot: AI Chatbot ("GOUT Buddy") offers personalized gout education and awareness tailored to individual needs

Study summary

Background: Dietary management is crucial for gout, but patients often lack adequate dietary literacy. However, patients often lack adequate dietary literacy and struggle to navigate complex dietary recommendations. Gout Buddy is an autonomous AI agent to offer personalized gout education and awareness tailored to individual needs. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and user experience of Gout Buddy, in improving dietary literacy and gout management.

Materials and methods: A two-arm RCT will randomize patients with gout to either the intervention (Gout Buddy) or control (standard care). Two study visits within 3-6 months will assess changes in dietary literacy and gout management behaviours. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with intervention arm participants and multidisciplinary care team members to explore their experiences with Gout Buddy till the point of data saturation.

Expected Outcomes: The current trial is expected to demonstrate the effectiveness of Gout Buddy in improving dietary literacy and gout management compared to standard care. Qualitative data will provide rich insights into user engagement, perceived benefits, challenges, and the feasibility of integrating the chatbot into routine gout management.

Significance: This study will provide evidence on the potential of AI chatbots to enhance gout self-management. The findings will inform the development and implementation of digital health tools for chronic disease management, potentially improving patient outcomes and reducing the burden of gout.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Food Frequency Questionnaire — through study completion, an average of 3 to 6 months
  Food Frequency Questionnaire-SF (FFQ-SF) is a limited checklist of foods and beverages with a frequency response section for subjects to report how often each item was consumed over a specified period of time. Changes in the frequency of consuming each food item will be compared to baseline consumption.
• Dietary literacy about gout — through study completion, an average of 3 to 6 months
  Change in the scores using Dietary literacy about gout questionnaire; a newly developed questionnaire to assess patients' understanding of gout diet comprising 19 questions scored from a scale of 1-5: 1 (Strongly agree), 2 (agree), 3 (uncertain), 4 (disagree) and 5 (strongly disagree). A higher score indicates better understanding.
• Medication adherence report scale- 5 items — through study completion, an average of 3 to 6 months
  Change in the scores using five item Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5); MARS-5 score was calculated by summing the numeric score (range 1-5) from each question for out of 25 (range 5-25). A higher score indicates better adherence.
• Health related quality of life (HRQoL) — through study completion, an average of 3 to 6 months
  Change in the scores using EQ-5D-5L questionnaire; The EQ-5D-5L tool comprises five dimensions, each describing a different aspect of health: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/ discomfort and anxiety/ depression. Each dimension has five response levels (no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems, unable to/ extreme problems). The proportion of patients reporting each level of problem on each dimension of the EQ-5D will be determined through study completion and compared. EQ VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) provides a quantitative measure of the patient's perception of their overall health. The EQ VAS records the respondent's overall current health on a vertical scale (0-100), where the endpoints are labelled '0-The worst health you can imagine' and '100-The best health you can imagine'.

Trial sites (1)

More SingHealth Polyclinics trials in Singapore