Psychological Artificial Intelligence Service, Tess: Delivering On-demand Support to Patients and Their Caregivers: Technical Report

Cureus. 2019 Jan 28;11(1):e3972. doi: 10.7759/cureus.3972.

Abstract

This technical report highlights how one mental health chatbot, or psychological artificial intelligence service named Tess, has been customized to deliver on-demand support for caregiving professionals, patients, and family caregivers at a non-profit organization. This low-cost, user friendly, and highly customizable service allows emotional support to be scaled to thousands of people at a single time. The following report describes the phased approach to implementing Tess in order to reach staff, caregivers, and patients across Canada and the United States.

Keywords: caregiver support; chatbot; computer based therapy; employee wellness; healthcare technology; nurse support; remote patient monitoring; teletherapy; text-based therapy; workforce mental health.

Grants and funding

Authors AJ and MR are employees of the vendor X2 AI Inc., and therefore have a financial interest in the success of product. Author MA is an employee of Saint Elizabeth Health Care and therefore has a financial interest in the success of the organization. X2 and Saint Elizabeth Health Care were awarded the 2018 Industry Innovation Partnership Program Grant (I2P2) grant through the Centre for Aging and Brain Health.