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CHEWA: Evaluating the Impact of an LLM-Enabled Virtual Voice Assistant on Community Health Extension Workers’ Decision-Making and Patient Safety: A Multi-Site, Prospective, Pre-Post Comparative Study

CHEWA: Evaluating the Impact of an LLM-Enabled Virtual Voice Assistant on Community Health Extension Workers’ Decision-Making and Patient Safety: A Multi-Site, Prospective, Pre-Post Comparative Study

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
PACTR
Registry ID
PACTR202506786881322
Enrollment
3000
Registered
2025-06-20
Start date
2025-06-11
Completion date
Unknown
Last updated
2026-09-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Interventions

CHEWA

Sponsors

PATH
Lead Sponsor

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: CHEW based in Kano or Oyo State

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Non-CHEW or CHEW outside Kano or Oyo states

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
The primary outcome of this study is the quality assessment of CHEWA responses based on a predefined, study-specific evaluation rubric. An expert panel of experienced clinicians will assess the CHEWA responses by reviewing interaction transcripts, including the questions posed by CHEWs and the corresponding answers generated by the LLM-based virtual assistant. Two expert panel members will independently evaluate each response based on four key domains. Responses in Arm 1 (patient-specific advice) will be evaluated across all four domains: (A) adherence to accepted medical science and consensus, (B) relevance to the CHEW’s query, (C) clarity of communication, and (D) contextual appropriateness for a resource-constrained setting. In contrast, responses in Arm 2 (general, non-patient-specific clinical queries) will be assessed only on domains A, B, and C, as contextual relevance and suitability are less applicable to broader clinical inquiries.

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
This secondary outcome will assess whether the CHEW’s management plan changes after interacting with the LLM and whether these changes improve or worsen patient care. To establish a baseline, the CHEW will be asked: ‘Can you summarise the patient’s background, your planned next steps, and what is your first question’? After completing their interaction with the LLM component of CHEWA, the CHEW will answer the question: ‘Did you follow CHEWA’s advice’? and the CHEW will have to provide a response. If they did not follow or only followed some of the advice, the CHEW will be prompted to answer: ‘What did you do differently to CHEWA’s advice, and why’? The evaluation panel will be given all relevant documented information in order to determine the ground truth for each case and to compare both the pre-CHEWA and post-CHEWA management plans against this reference.

Countries

Nigeria

Contacts

Public ContactCharles Ohikhuai

Head of Programs

charles.ohikhuai@viamo.io+2348025954513

Outcome results

None listed

Source: PACTR (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Sep 19, 2026