ABSTRACT More than 50 million women suffer from pelvic health disorders (PHDs) in the United States, a number that is projected to nearly double by 2050. These conditions cost the healthcare system billions annually and negatively affect educational and employment opportunities, quality of life, and fertility of patients. While studies suggest that PHDs can be managed and improved with education, practitioners are often confronted with patients who delay seeking treatment until their symptoms and conditions are advanced. Below Your Belt (BYB) is developing a platform that disrupts the costly, painful, and stigmatizing cycle of poor pelvic health in the U.S. The platform is a mobile, web based, a consumer-facing chatbot, with a working name of CeCe, that delivers pelvic health information in a familiar, accessible manner. CeCe will engage Mom with interactive and medically accurate content, positioning her to become the central source of information for her family and her social network. BYB has developed and tested a functional prototype of CeCe, which is based on feedback received from hundreds of women surveyed. In Phase I, BYB, together with Northwestern University and a highly qualified team of consultants will optimize CeCe and test the feasibility and acceptability of a chatbot to deliver pelvic health information. In Aim 1, The current prototype will be examined and enhanced to a web-based platform. Simultaneously, verified conversational and educational material will be added to the existing content to make it more robust. Then, a round of usability testing will be conducted. Updates to content and functionality will be completed based on initial usability results, and if any issues are uncovered, they will be addressed before the start of Aim 2. In Aim 2, Northwestern University will conduct a larger usability and knowledge-gained study with 36 women (recruitment target of 30% low income women). Questionnaires will be used to ascertain whether participants had measurable increase in knowledge after completing the two-week interaction with CeCe and to assess ease of use/acceptance. Exit interviews will be conducted to gain qualitative data around ease of use, interest in CeCe, content preferences, perceptions of achievement in relation to increased awareness of pelvic health and confidence or comfort sharing pelvic health information. At the conclusion of Phase I, BYB will have successfully demonstrated that CeCe?s final prototype is an acceptable and feasible model for increasing pelvic health knowledge. In addition, BYB will have a complete assessment of CeCe?s acceptability and insight into participants? 14-day experience with the chatbot, and an understanding of whether a mom might feel confident or comfortable sharing any information she has learned.

R41HD097845

2019-09-25

2021-08-31