Patients with cancer who connect with an artificial intelligence (AI) avatar doctor prior to in-person consultations reported feeling more knowledgeable and less stressed than those who did not interact with an AI avatar, according to findings presented during the Congress of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 2026; Abstract 4187).
Background and Study Methods
The researchers created an AI avatar doctor with a digital technology company. The AI avatar doctor was used to speak with patients about their options for radiation treatment prior to speaking with a physician in person.
“We know that patients’ understanding of cancer treatments, like radiotherapy, is essential in making sure they can give informed consent. It also improves patient satisfaction and makes it more likely that they will stick to and complete their course of treatment. Despite doctors’ best efforts, patients often arrive at consultations overwhelmed, anxious and unable to comprehend and retain complex information—particularly in radiation oncology, where treatment concepts can be technically complex," said presenting author Adam Raben, MD, a radiation oncologist at Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, Christiana Care Health System in Newark, New Jersey. “We wanted to explore whether meeting an AI avatar who looked and sounded like a doctor before their main consultation could allow patients to be more prepared to meet their doctor in real life, helping them to make better decisions about their treatment and reducing their stress.”
In the study, a group of patients (n = 506) watched an educational video prior to meeting their doctor and another group (n = 958) watched an avatar-based video. The avatar used personalized scripts and illustrations to explain concepts about the radiation treatments. Afterward, patients in both groups took a quiz with teach back to assess their understanding and retention of the information, as well as a standardized satisfaction survey.
Key Findings
The researchers found that patients who watched the more personalized AI avatar video demonstrated a better understanding of their treatment plan than those who watched the general educational video. Additionally, the patients in the AI avatar doctor group showed a greater ability to engage with decisions about their treatment and less stress around their treatment, as well as higher hospital satisfaction scores.
“We found that patients were very willing to engage with digital educational material before their first radiation oncology visit. Their satisfaction and understanding scores were high overall, but particularly high among those who viewed the AI-avatar–based videos. All the patients completed the quiz, which shows that they were actively engaged with the material, not just watching it,” Dr. Raben said.
Going forward, the research team is looking to further explore the use of the AI avatar doctor throughout the patient journey and assess its impact on anxiety, patients' confidence in decision making, and efficiency for consultations.
ESTRO President, Matthias Guckenberger, MD, Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, who was not involved in the research said, “AI is already being used to plan and deliver radiotherapy, reducing the burden on health-care systems, and we know that patients are already using AI to ask about their condition and treatment.
“Dr Raben’s study is one of the earliest implementations of AI-avatar–based patient education being tested out in the clinic, not in a simulated or academic-only environment," Dr. Guckenberger added. “For people with cancer, the study suggests that engaging with an AI doctor enables patients to arrive at their consultation with a real doctor better prepared, less anxious and more confident in asking informed questions. This should mean that meetings between doctors and their patients will be more productive and more focused on patient’s individual concerns and decision-making. The research also suggests that patients will feel happier overall with the care they receive.”
DISCLOSURES: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit estro.org.
