Implementation of a Large Language Model (LLM)-Based Chatbot for Post-Hospital Discharge Surveillance of Patients with Surgical Wounds in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS)

Shirley da Silva Jacinto de Oliveira Cruz of Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Brazil will develop an LLM-based chatbot and use it in a pilot study to support post-discharge follow-up communication with surgical wound patients to promote a faster and safer recovery. A chatbot would provide a personalized and accessible mechanism for overcoming geographical, socioeconomic, and communication barriers between the healthcare team and the patient, including care reminders and regular check-ins via text and voice to acquire data on the patient's recovery and alert healthcare professionals to signs of complications. They will survey the needs at the Hospital das Clínicas de Pernambuco pilot site, train an LLM using electronic patient records from the hospital, and perform a series of evaluations using feedback from surgery patients and hospital staff to assess the usefulness and relevance of the information the chatbot provides.