LOLATAO—An Artificial-Intelligence-Based Virtual Assistant for Clinical Follow-Up of Patients with Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Undergoing Oral Anticoagulant Therapy (OAT): A Feasibility Study
<b>Background:</b> The aim of this study was to evaluate, for the first time, the feasibility of implementing LOLA, a speech-AI-driven conversational assistant, in monitoring and managing OAT for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). <b>Methods:</b> In 2023, we conducted a pilot prospective observational study of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) and TAO. All patients received a first-contact call from LOLATAO and then monthly calls following a protocol predefined by haematologists. At the end of the study, a satisfaction questionnaire was carried out. <b>Results:</b> Of the fifty patients, the mean age was 75 years, and 33% were women. One-third of the patients (n = 16) were receiving antivitamin K treatment, and two-thirds (33) DOACs. A total of 579 calls were made with a median follow-up of 278 days. LOLATAO had high rates of acceptability (85%), adherence (90%), and satisfaction (>95%). A total of 42% of the patients reported at least one missed dose within the last month, and 18% reported having a scheduled intervention requiring bridging therapy. In patients with AVKs, 94% (n = 15) reported being unaware of their TRT at least once, and 75% (n = 12) of patients reported having a TRT < 65%. Those patients in whom the TRT was <65% were switched to DOACs. LOLATAO saved a total of 10 h per month for haematologists during follow-up. <b>Conclusions:</b> This study suggests that LOLATAO can be a helpful tool in the management of chronic follow-up of patients with AF and undergoing OAT, reducing the burden of care and with high rates of acceptance and satisfaction by patients.
Authors
- Amparo Santamaría (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7727-880X)
- Rafael Carrasco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4414-5773)
- Beatriz Sánchez-Quiñones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5330-3738)
- Cristina Antón-Maldonado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0859-7081)
- Nataly Ibarra Vega (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2422-2092)
- Pedro González
Institutions
- Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (ES)
- Hospital Universitario del Vinalopó (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Published
- 2025-04-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14093023
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Atrial Fibrillation Management and Outcomes
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.78