University of Utah researchers develop chatbot to expand genetic testing care

SALT LAKE CITY — Chatbots might be used to assess the risk of cancer in patients. University of Utah researchers said these chatbots could help more people decide if they should have genetic testing.

Genetic testing is used to weigh a person’s risk of developing cancer. The National Cancer Institute says up to 10% of all cancers may be caused by inherited genetic changes.

A press release says that currently, those interested in genetic testing will go through a two-appointment process. First they will meet with a genetic counselor for a pre-test appointment. The second appointment is an analyzation of the testing results.

The chatbot would replace the first appointment and create more accessibility to genetic testing care. 

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Communications Professor Kimberly Kaphingst was the lead author of this research. The chatbot may help patients decide if they should meet with a genetic counselor and get the test done, she said.

“We were thinking of the chatbots as an alternative to the first appointment that people do before testing… [To] learn about testing and think about whether it’s the right decision for them,” Kaphingst said.

She says the chatbots will “provide people with information about cancer genetic testing,[and] what some of the limitations of the test are.” 

Kaphingst says they worked closely with genetic counselors in the process of developing the chatbots. She also says that patients are equally as likely to seek genetic testing after using the chatbot or speaking with a genetic counselor. 

The chatbot still needs work before it can be used in the doctors office, she said.

“We are definitely hoping to do more research… modernizing the chatbots.”