Will AI chatbots help address shortage of genetic counselors?

Will AI chatbots help address a shortage of genetic counselors?
Credit: Pixabay/ Mohamed Hassan

A text messaging-based approach to communication could provide a convenient avenue for patients to access genetic counseling.

Although most patients receive genetic counseling in person or through audiovisual telehealth today, other methods could ease access challenges for patients in need of support.

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At DNAvisit, the company sells 30-day and 60-day subscriptions to its chat service, during which patients have unlimited access to a genetic counselor, said Heather Wetzel, DNAvisit’s director of genetic counseling and a coauthor of the study. With the 60-day subscription, genetic counselors can also schedule a phone call with patients if needed.

The service uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze conversations and suggest replies for the genetic counselor to send based on a library of prewritten responses to common questions, in a move designed to help genetic counselors be more efficient, Wetzel said. All responses are ultimately selected, and can be modified, by the genetic counselor. That’s different than AI chatbots that guide patients through the genetic testing process and receiving their results, like those offered by Invitae and adopted by health systems like Geisinger, which interact with patients through conversations that are automated, immediate, and don’t involve a human genetic counselor.

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