Need assessment for history-taking instruction program using chatbot for nursing students: A qualitative study using focus group interviews

PURPOSE: A comprehensive health history contributes to identifying the most appropriate interventions and care priorities. However, history-taking is challenging to learn and develop for most nursing students. Chatbot was suggested by students to be used in history-taking training. Still, there is a lack of clarity regarding the needs of nursing students in these programs. This study aimed to explore nursing students’ needs and essential components of chatbot-based history-taking instruction program. METHODS: This was a qualitative study. Four focus groups, with a total of 22 nursing students, were recruited. Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology was used to analyze the qualitative data generated from the focus group discussions. RESULTS: Three main themes and 12 subthemes emerged. The main themes included limitations of clinical practice for history-taking, perceptions of chatbot used in history-taking instruction programs, and the need for history-taking instruction programs using chatbot. Students had limitations in clinical practice for history-taking. When developing chatbot-based history-taking instruction programs, the development should reflect students’ needs, including feedback from the chatbot system, diverse clinical situations, chances to practice nontechnical skills, a form of chatbot (i.e., humanoid robots or cyborgs), the role of teachers (i.e., sharing experience and providing advice) and training before the clinical practice. CONCLUSION: Nursing students had limitations in clinical practice for history-taking and high expectations for chatbot-based history-taking instruction programs.