A chatbot for identifying and monitoring toxicities associated with antineoplastic chemotherapy in patients with cancer

Abstract

Objective: To develop a chatbot for the identification and monitoring of toxicities associated with intravenous antineoplastic chemotherapy in patients with cancer. Method: This methodological study was conducted between December 2023 and August 2025 and was based on the Interdisciplinary Method for the Development of Health Technologies, which comprises two phases and six activities. Phase 1 included Activity 1 – problem understanding and scoping review; Activity 2 – literature review; and Activity 3 – development of a low-fidelity prototype, prototype evaluation by nursing staff, and development of a high-fidelity prototype. Phase 2 comprised Activity 4 – development of the interactive prototype; Activity 5 – usability analysis and content validation; and Activity 6 – final writing and technology registration. Results were analyzed using the Content Validity Index (CVI > 90%) and usability assessment conducted with the System Usability Scale (score range, 0-100). Results: Nine symptoms most frequently reported in the literature supported the development of the chatbot. In the usability evaluation, 74.4% of users rated the system at the highest possible level of usability. In the content validation process, the achieved CVI was 90%. Conclusion: The chatbot demonstrated satisfactory content validity and usability, characterizing it as an appropriate technology to support health services in the remote monitoring of toxicities associated with chemotherapy, facilitating early identification and timely interventions.