The Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) Virtual Assistant: A machine learning and artificial intelligence chatbot to support the mental health of frontline healthcare workers

Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in Canadaxiii. Unfortunately, there are significant gaps in care including a lack of support in navigating the mental health systemxivxvxvixvii. It is widely agreed by the medical community that there will be a wave of widespread need for mental health related services resulting from COVID-19xviii, which will only further exacerbate existing system issues.
With 91% of Canadians actively using the internetxix, new digital technologies that harness the internet can be leveraged to bridge gaps in services, increasing the ease and ways in which people can access mental health services, and in-turn improving their health outcomesxx.
This pilot study will develop, activate, and evaluate state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and machine learning, in the form of a chatbot (called the MDSC Virtual Assistant), to support the mental health of front-line health care workers and their families. Our goal is to examine whether the bot effectively helped people connect with the right services, if users were satisfied with their experience with the bot, and whether the bot supported their wellbeing.

Faculty Supervisor:

Osmar Zaiane;Eleni Stroulia

Student:

Partner:

Mood Disorders Society of Canada

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

University of Alberta

Program: