Digital Assistant Technology to Support Health Management for Adults 60 and Older With or Without Mild Cognitive Impairment

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating digital assistant technology tools designed to support older adults, including those with Mild Cognitive Impairment MCI and lower socioeconomic status, in managing healthcare activities. The study aims to enhance cognitive support for tasks such as accessing support services, managing healthcare finances, and using Medicare.gov tools. This pilot randomized clinical trial focuses on the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of a digital support tool called SideKick, adapted for Medicare tasks. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups the SideKick condition or the usual-tool control condition using medicare.gov. Those in the SideKick group will receive an introduction to Large Language Models, learn how to use SideKick for queries, and practice constructing prompts. The control group will be guided through the medicare.gov website, learning about its structure and navigation. Participants will complete a series of Medicare enrollment and plan selection queries of varying complexity using their assigned tool. Throughout the study, participants will undergo baseline assessments and complete task performance sessions during which their accuracy and perceptions of system usefulness and usability will be evaluated. The primary outcomes include measuring perceived system usefulness and performance accuracy immediately after task completion. The study involves adults aged 60 and older with varying cognitive abilities and includes monitoring participant engagement and feedback to inform digital tool development.

Digital Tools to Support Healthcare Decision Making