Table 4.
Features of the Chatbot in Each Study.
| Type (Role, Function, or Utilization) | Study | |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Whether the chatbot was able to understand an “emergency” situation (such as suicidal ideation) and appropriately respond. |
Utilization | None |
| Human support Whether the study involved the possibility of interaction with clinical personnel “on call” through the course of the study. |
Role | Tielman et al.,16 Bickmore et al.,21 Bickmore et al.,22 Philip et al.24 |
| Available today Whether the chatbot described in the study may be commercially or noncommercially acquired for personal use, independently of the study. |
Role | Ly et al.,15 Fitzpatrick et al.18 |
| Mobile device Whether the chatbot is presented in a “mobile” format, such as an iPhone or Android app, or a voice action in a manufacturer-preinstalled personal assistant. |
Role | Ly et al.,15 Fitzpatrick et al.18 |
| Children Whether the study assessed interaction with the chatbot in populations under 18 years old. |
Utilization | None |
| Inpatient Whether the study participants were recruited from an inpatient clinical population instead of an outpatient subclinical or clinical population. |
Utilization | Bickmore et al.22 |
| Industry involved Whether any author of the study self-reported his or her affiliation as a nonacademic institution, not considering conflict of interest or funding information. |
Role | Tielman et al.,16 Fitzpatrick et al.,18 Tielman et al.20 |
| Adverse events Whether any adverse event was reported during the duration of the study. |
Utilization | Bickmore et al.21 |
| Text The primary modality of interaction with the chatbot was through a textual interface, even if a text-to-speech or speech-to-text component was offered. |
Function | Ly et al.,15 Fitzpatrick et al.18 |
| Voice The primary modality of interaction with the chatbot was through voice, even if a textual interface was offered. |
Function | None |
| Embodied (3D) The primary modality of interaction with the chatbot was both voice and 3D motion input or 3D visual output. |
Function | Tielman et al.,16 Shinozaki et al.,17 Gardiner et al.,19 Tielman et al.,20 Bickmore et al.,21 Bickmore et al.,22 Lucas et al.,23 Philip et al.24 |