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SAFE.AI: Sviluppo e Test di un Chatbot Ibrido basato sull'Intelligenza Artificiale per l'Empowerment Finanziario nell'Assistenza Oncologica Rurale

22 settembre 2026 aggiornato da: University of Utah

SAFE.AI: Sviluppo e Test di un Chatbot Ibrido Basato su IA per l'Empowerment Finanziario nell'Assistenza Oncologica Rurale

This is a randomized, two-arm, parallel-group pilot trial investigating a new chatbot tool designed to support cancer patients and caregivers, particularly those in rural communities. Approximately 60 participants will be randomized 1:1 to interact with either a hybrid chatbot or an AI-enabled chatbot. Participants will use their assigned chatbot to obtain clear and helpful information related to insurance, travel costs, and other financial aspects of cancer care.

Panoramica dello studio

Stato

Reclutamento

Descrizione dettagliata

Costs of cancer care will approach $246 billion by 2030, making cancer one of the most expensive health conditions for individuals. Cancer-related financial hardships negatively impacts psychological wellbeing, health-related quality of life, medication adherence, and decisions to delay or forgo care. Rural cancer patients and families have a higher prevalence of financial hardships, incur greater travel-related expenses, face unique employment and income stressors, and have lower access to specialized cancer care services and providers-- including those that support financial needs.

Few financial toxicity interventions are designed for the needs of rural cancer patients and families. While financial navigation can effectively reduce cancer patients' out-of-pocket costs, cancer programs' financial and rural patient navigation services, including at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI), are overstrained. Most centers respond to financial hardships reactively rather than proactively, and programs are less equipped to assist with non-medical sources of cancer costs, such as travel and employment hardships.

To address this gap, Self-Advocacy for Financial Empowerment (SAFE) resource toolkit with a community advisory board consisting of rural cancer patients, caregivers, and healthcare stakeholders. Community-engaged research also identified the need for individualized and accessible information about financial resources and supports, stigma as a barrier to seeking help, and the time and resource-intensive nature of financial navigation that limits the penetration and reach of these essential services among rural communities impacted by cancer.

Chatbots, or conversational agents, are a type of artificial intelligence (AI) system that applies machine learning to reproduce realistic human conversations. Scripted chatbots, based on clearly defined information boundaries, offer accurate, reliable, and individualized responses to questions. Conversely, AI-based chatbots that use large language models (LLM) like GPT4, can address ambiguous, open-ended questions while continuing to preserve privacy. Chatbots facilitate individualized, chunked information that enhances complex information communication, promotes users' privacy and support needs, and addresses workforce challenges.[

GARDE-Chat, an open-source platform, has been established for health system-level risk assessment and genetic testing for hereditary cancer at HCI. GARDE-Chat supports scripted, hybrid, and AI-chatbots. Prior to this pilot test, GARDE-Chat will be used to create a chatbot designed to provide responses for financial toxicity, based on the SAFE toolkit content and verified resources to develop the scripted version of the chatbot. A large language model component of the chatbot will be incorporated for the hybrid version that will enable users to ask more complex and open-ended questions, refined with community stakeholder input.

This is a randomized, two-arm, parallel-group pilot trial investigating a new chatbot tool designed to support cancer patients and caregivers, particularly those in rural communities. Approximately 60 participants will be randomized 1:1 to interact with either a hybrid chatbot or an AI-enabled chatbot. Participants will use their assigned chatbot to obtain clear and helpful information related to insurance, travel costs, and other financial aspects of cancer care. Enrolled participants will complete three surveys (pretest, posttest, and 2-week follow-up) and interact with the chatbot prior to the posttest. Participants can interact with the chatbot between the posttest and the 2-week followup as they choose. Participants will share feedback on the usefulness, ease of use, and overall experience using the chatbot and complete pre-and posttest measures to assess preliminary efficacy for secondary outcome measures. All research activities will be done online.

Tipo di studio

Interventistico

Iscrizione (Stimato)

60

Fase

  • Non applicabile

Contatti e Sedi

Questa sezione fornisce i recapiti di coloro che conducono lo studio e informazioni su dove viene condotto lo studio.

Luoghi di studio

    • Utah
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, Stati Uniti, 84112
        • Reclutamento
        • Huntsman Cancer Institute/ University of Utah
        • Contatto:
        • Investigatore principale:
          • Djin Tay, PhD, RN

Criteri di partecipazione

I ricercatori cercano persone che corrispondano a una certa descrizione, chiamata criteri di ammissibilità. Alcuni esempi di questi criteri sono le condizioni generali di salute di una persona o trattamenti precedenti.

Criteri di ammissibilità

Età idonea allo studio

18 anni e precedenti (Adulto, Adulto più anziano)

Accetta volontari sani

No

Sessi ammissibili allo studio

Tutto

Descrizione

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults (18 years and older)
  • Cancer patients or financially responsible caregivers of cancer patients who:
  • Reside in the Huntsman Cancer Institute's five-state catchment area (Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Nevada),
  • Are able to read and write in English, and
  • Live in a rural area, defined by endorsement of a residential ZIP code classified as non-metropolitan (RUCA codes 4-10) per the USDA Rural-Urban Commuting Area Codes.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Respondents who do not live within this 5-state region--The SAFE toolkit material was developed for the Huntsman Cancer Institute patient population which serves UT, ID, MT, WY, & NV
  • Respondents who only speak Spanish or other exclusively non-English speaking groups--The large language model for the chatbot will be developed in the English language. As non-English language training for the chatbot is not part of the scope of this study, participants who are unable to read and write in English may not be appropriate. As such, we will not be recruiting participants who only speak Spanish or other exclusively non-English speaking groups. Future studies will include adaptation of the chatbot to other languages.
  • Caregivers who are not primarily responsible for the financial aspects of patients' cancer care--The topic of financial hardship of cancer care may be less relevant for caregivers who are not financially involved in care.
  • Non-rural dwelling

Piano di studio

Questa sezione fornisce i dettagli del piano di studio, compreso il modo in cui lo studio è progettato e ciò che lo studio sta misurando.

Come è strutturato lo studio?

Dettagli di progettazione

  • Scopo principale: Terapia di supporto
  • Assegnazione: Randomizzato
  • Modello interventistico: Assegnazione parallela
  • Mascheramento: Nessuno (etichetta aperta)

Armi e interventi

Gruppo di partecipanti / Arm
Intervento / Trattamento
Altro: Rule-based Chatbot

Participants randomized to this arm will be asked to use the rule-based chatbot.

The rule-based (scripted) SAFE.ai chatbot is a guided conversational tool built to provide structured, accurate, and consistent information to rural cancer patients and caregivers experiencing cancer-related financial toxicity.

This chatbot is grounded in the Self-Advocacy for Financial Empowerment (SAFE) resource toolkit, which was co-developed with a community advisory board (CAB) composed of rural patients, caregivers, nurses, and financial navigation experts across HCI's five-state catchment area. All scripted responses reflect priorities identified during qualitative needs assessment sessions, ensuring that content is culturally aligned with rural patient experiences and real-world financial challenges.

The chatbot follows a rule-based decision tree. Users progress through the conversation by selecting a response from a set of fixed options displayed on-screen. This ensures that all content is clinically vetted, safe, consistent, and aligned with evidence-based practices.

Altro: Hybrid Chatbot

Participants randomized to this arm will be asked to use the hybrid chatbot

The hybrid SAFE.ai chatbot builds on the existing rule-based system by integrating a large language model (LLM) layer to support more flexible, open-ended, and conversational interactions. While the rule-based chatbot provides structured conversations through predefined content, the hybrid approach allows users to ask complex or personalized questions about financial toxicity.

To ensure safety and accuracy, the hybrid chatbot is not allowed to generate responses from the open internet.

By combining the consistency of rule-based logic with the adaptability of an LLM, the hybrid chatbot will enable users to ask follow-up questions, describe nuanced financial situations, request clarification in their own words, and receive more tailored guidance while still ensuring adherence to SAFE content.

Cosa sta misurando lo studio?

Misure di risultato primarie

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Single-Item Helpfulness Rating
Lasso di tempo: up to 2 weeks

Helpfulness is assessed using a 5-point Likert-scale item with response options ranging from Very unhelpful (1) to Very helpful (5). Total scores range from a minumum of 1 to a maximum of 5, with lower scores indicating lower perceived helpfulness, and higher scores indicating greater perceived helpfulness.

up to 2 weeks
System Usability Scale (SUS)
Lasso di tempo: up to 2 weeks

The SUS is a 10-item, 5 point Likert scale (0 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 100, with lower values indicating less usability and higher values indicating higher usability.

up to 2 weeks
Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM)
Lasso di tempo: up to 2 weeks

The AIM is a 4-item, 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from a minimum of 4 a maximum of 20, with lower values indicating lower acceptability and higher values indicating higher acceptability.

up to 2 weeks
Chatbot User Satisfaction (CUS) - Satisfaction Subscale
Lasso di tempo: up to 2 weeks

The Satisfaction subscale of the CUS measure is a 5 item Likert-scale ( 1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 25, with lower values indicating lower user satisfaction, and higher values indicating higher satisfaction.

up to 2 weeks
Trust in Automated Systems Test (TOAST)
Lasso di tempo: up to 2 weeks

The TOAST is a 9-item 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree). Total scores range from a minimum of 9 to a maximum of 63, with lower values indicating lower trust, and higher values indicating higher trust.

up to 2 weeks

Misure di risultato secondarie

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Self-reported Financial Worry
Lasso di tempo: up to 2 weeks

Financial Worry will be assessed by the COST (COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity) assessment. COST is a 12-item, 5-point Likert scale (0=Not at All to 4 =Very Much). Total scores range from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 44, with lower scores indicating worse Financial Well-Being and higher scores indicating better Financial Well-Being.

This outcome measure will report mean COST score.

up to 2 weeks
Health-Related Quality of Life (QOL)
Lasso di tempo: up to 2 weeks

Health-related quality of life will be assessed with the 36-item short-form Health Survey (SF-36). The SF-36 has two subscales, the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and the Mental Component Summary (MCS). Each subscale ranges from 0-100, with lower scores indicating worse QOL and higher scores indicating better QOL.

This outcome measure will report the mean PCS and MCS scores.

up to 2 weeks
Self-Efficacy for Coping with Cancer
Lasso di tempo: up to 2 weeks

Self-efficacy for coping with cancer will be assessed with the Cancer Behavior Inventory-Brief Version (CBI-B) questionnaire. CBI-B is a 12-item, 9-point Likert scale (1=Not at All Confident to 9=Totally Confident).

Total CBI-B scores range from 9 to 108, with lower scores indicating worse self-efficacy and higher scores indicating better self-efficacy.

up to 2 weeks
Psychosocial Distress
Lasso di tempo: up to 2 weeks

Psychosocial distress will be measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). PHQ-4 is a 4-item, 4-point Likert scale (0 = Not at All to 3 = Nearly every day).

Total PHQ-4 scores range from 0 to 12, with lower scores indicating less psychosocial distress and higher scores indicating more severe psychosocial distress.

up to 2 weeks
User Engagement with SAFE.AI
Lasso di tempo: up to 2 weeks

User engagement with the SAFE.AI will be assessed using an engagement instrument developed for evaluating AI chatbots in a posttest survey.

up to 2 weeks

Collaboratori e investigatori

Qui è dove troverai le persone e le organizzazioni coinvolte in questo studio.

Investigatori

  • Investigatore principale: Djin Tay, PhD, RN, Huntsman Cancer Institute

Pubblicazioni e link utili

La persona responsabile dell'inserimento delle informazioni sullo studio fornisce volontariamente queste pubblicazioni. Questi possono riguardare qualsiasi cosa relativa allo studio.

Pubblicazioni generali

Studiare le date dei record

Queste date tengono traccia dell'avanzamento della registrazione dello studio e dell'invio dei risultati di sintesi a ClinicalTrials.gov. I record degli studi e i risultati riportati vengono esaminati dalla National Library of Medicine (NLM) per assicurarsi che soddisfino specifici standard di controllo della qualità prima di essere pubblicati sul sito Web pubblico.

Studia le date principali

Inizio studio (Stimato)

1 settembre 2026

Completamento primario (Stimato)

1 dicembre 2027

Completamento dello studio (Stimato)

1 dicembre 2027

Date di iscrizione allo studio

Primo inviato

31 dicembre 2025

Primo inviato che soddisfa i criteri di controllo qualità

12 febbraio 2026

Primo Inserito (Effettivo)

13 febbraio 2026

Aggiornamenti dei record di studio

Ultimo aggiornamento pubblicato (Effettivo)

25 settembre 2026

Ultimo aggiornamento inviato che soddisfa i criteri QC

22 settembre 2026

Ultimo verificato

1 settembre 2026

Maggiori informazioni

Termini relativi a questo studio

Altri numeri di identificazione dello studio

  • 193501

Informazioni su farmaci e dispositivi, documenti di studio

Studia un prodotto farmaceutico regolamentato dalla FDA degli Stati Uniti

No

Studia un dispositivo regolamentato dalla FDA degli Stati Uniti

No

Queste informazioni sono state recuperate direttamente dal sito web clinicaltrials.gov senza alcuna modifica. In caso di richieste di modifica, rimozione o aggiornamento dei dettagli dello studio, contattare register@clinicaltrials.gov. Non appena verrà implementata una modifica su clinicaltrials.gov, questa verrà aggiornata automaticamente anche sul nostro sito web .

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