Choice of Behavioral Change Techniques in Health Care Conversational Agents: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Background: Conversational agents or chatbots are computer programs that simulate conversations with users. Conversational agents are increasingly used for delivery of behavior change interventions in health care. Behavior change is complex and comprises the use of one or several components collectively known as behavioral change techniques (BCTs). Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to identify the BCTs that are used in behavior change-focused interventions delivered via conversational agents in health care. Methods: This scoping review will be performed in line with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and will be reported according to the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews guidelines. We will perform a comprehensive search of electronic databases and grey literature sources, and will check the reference lists of included studies for additional relevant studies. The screening and data extraction will be performed independently and in parallel by two review authors. Discrepancies will be resolved through consensus or discussion with a third review author. We will use a data extraction form congruent with the key themes and aims of this scoping review. BCTs employed in the included studies will be coded in line with BCT Taxonomy v1. We will analyze the data qualitatively and present it in diagrammatic or tabular form, alongside a narrative summary. Results: To date, we have designed the search strategy and performed the search on April 26, 2021. The first round of screening of retrieved articles is planned to begin soon. Conclusions: Using appropriate BCTs in the design and delivery of health care interventions via conversational agents is essential to improve long-term outcomes. Our findings will serve to inform the development of future interventions in this area.