Efficacy of the voice-activated intelligent personal assistant (VIPA) intervention on psychosocial well-being among people with Parkinson's disease: A pilot randomized controlled trial.
Efficacy of the voice-activated intelligent personal assistant (VIPA) intervention on psychosocial well-being among people with Parkinson's disease: A pilot randomized controlled trial.
Where did the research take place?
The study site has not been established. Author addresses may differ from where the research occurred.
Hong Kong, HK · Author affiliation
School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 11 Yuk Choi Rd, Hung Hom, Hong Kong. Electronic address: terence.lau@connect.polyu.hk.Location evidence
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Original abstract
INTRODUCTION: Although technology has been widely implemented in Parkinson's disease (PD) research, little is known about its efficacy on participants' psychosocial domains. This study assessed the potential effect and usability of the Voice-Activated Intelligent Personal Assistant (VIPA) on participants' sense of coherence and psychosocial well-being. METHOD: This single-blinded, 2-arm pilot randomised controlled trial, with 7 post-intervention interviews, recruited 48 participants. Intervention group participants received a user protocol for their 8-week VIPA usage, while the control group received usual care. Primary outcome was the Sense of Coherence 13-item scale (SOC-13). Other outcomes were Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), UCLA Three-Item Loneliness Scale, Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-8, Brief Resilient Coping Scale, and System Usability Scale. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) was selected as the primary analysis, with multiple imputation performed as sensitivity analysis. RESULT: A significant reduction of positive emotion in IG was identified for the MHC-SF emotional well-being at post-intervention (β = -1.69, p = 0.028) but not at week 12 follow-up (β = -0.96, p = 0.31). Exploratory effect sizes were identified for SOC-13 meaningfulness (d = 0.27), manageability (d = 0.19), and MHC-SF psychological well-being (d = 0.27). Interviewee reportedly internalised their failed interaction attempts into speech characteristics, and it resembled being ignored by a real person. CONCLUSION: The study identified preliminary trends of improvements in participants' meaningfulness domain and psychological well-being. The decrease in emotional well-being could be attributed to the reported technical difficulties and VIPA's fair usability. A future VIPA redesign is required to avoid similar adverse effects.