IrelandHealthcare and life sciences2025 – ongoing

St James's Hospital

eAltra conversational assessment of patient concerns

St James's Hospital researchers reported that all 16 participants found its patient-concerns chatbot easy to use

In progressCompany's own claim

Problem

Head and neck cancer patients had unmet needs between consultations. Researchers wanted patients to record concerns outside hospital before discussing them with clinicians.

Approach

Hospital researchers and academic partners tested eAltra, a mobile web application using conversational AI. Patients selected concerns for their next consultation. A prospective usability trial collected feedback after the chat interaction.

Results

16patients who completed the chat interaction in the researchers' usability trialCompany's own claim[1]

Takeaway

The trial established initial usability and willingness to use the application. It did not establish better clinical outcomes or reduced staff workload.

Sources

Conversational artificial intelligence (CAI) and the Interface with the patient concerns inventory (PCI): Assessment of usability of eAltra web application
Journal of the Irish Head and Neck SocietyFeb 2025Research paper or report

Source summaries

[1]Journal of the Irish Head and Neck SocietyFeb 2025

Hospital-affiliated researchers reported a prospective trial involving 16 patients. All participants rated the application easy to use and wanted access during treatment.

Full details are in the original sources.

Added 1 Nov 2026 · Updated 1 Nov 2026