Supporting data for "Real-world evaluation of a chatbot for promoting the reach and accessibility of a smoking cessation service"

Chatbots present as a promising yet understudied platform for supporting smoking cessation and recruiting smokers into cessation programs. "Dr. Wise", a WhatsApp-based chatbot, was developed by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Integrated Centre on Smoking Cessation (ICSC) in collaboration with the HKU Smoking Cessation Team to assist with regular recruitment. This project evaluated the feasibility of using "Dr. Wise" to promote the reach of ICSC services and explored the interaction between users and counselors via the live chat channel, which was embedded in "Dr. Wise".

From May 2021 to June 2022, 3074 smokers were enrolled in the ICSC, of whom 123 (4.0%) utilized "Dr. Wise". Users of "Dr. Wise" were significantly younger and more likely to receive pharmacotherapy compared to non-users. Moreover, using "Dr. Wise" was positively associated with long-term abstinence. From May 2021 to November 2022, 122 valid dialogues were collected from the live chat. Topic modeling revealed that the live chat channel effectively supported users by providing relapse prevention support, connecting users with clinics, and addressing concerns related to ongoing pharmacotherapy. Sentiment analysis indicated a higher prevalence of positive sentiment expressions in users' and counselors' messages. Notably, negative sentiment used in both parties' messages was positively associated with user engagement. Overall, the findings suggested that "Dr. Wise" helped ICSC reach diverse populations and that the built-in live chat channel provided users with additional benefits.