Artificial Intelligence-assisted Primary Care for RSV Prevention (AIPC-RSV) in China

NCT07856290 — Not applicable, Not yet recruiting, 1500 participants, Fudan University

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Artificial Intelligence-assisted Primary Care for RSV Prevention (AIPC-RSV) in China: A Randomized Trial and Implementation Study

RegistryNCT07856290
StatusNot yet recruiting
PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional; randomized, parallel, masking: single, health services research
Enrollment1500 (Estimated)
SponsorFudan University (Other); collaborators: Sanofi
ConditionsRSV Immunization
InterventionsRSV AI-assisted primary care intervention (Behavioral)
Datesstart 2026-10-02 (estimated), primary completion 2027-02-01 (estimated), completion 2027-02-01 (estimated), first posted 2026-10-02, last updated 2026-10-13

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All trials for RSV Immunization All trials of RSV AI-assisted primary care intervention

-Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether an AI-assisted primary care intervention for parents can increase RSV monoclonal antibody (mAb) uptake among infants, and to assess the cost-effectiveness and potential for implementing the intervention in routine primary care.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does the RSV AI-assisted primary care intervention increase parents' perceived risk of RSV disease, RSV prevention literacy, confidence in using RSV mAb, willingness to use RSV mAb for their infants, and RSV mAb uptake among infants?
2. Is the AI-assisted primary care intervention acceptable, feasible, and potentially sustainable for RSV prevention?
3. Is the AI-assisted primary care intervention cost-effective compared with conventional health education, and what factors may facilitate or hinder its implementation?

Researchers will compare parents of infants who receive the RSV AI-assisted primary care intervention with those who do not receive it to determine whether the intervention improves parents' literacy, confidence, and willingness to use RSV mAb and increases RSV mAb uptake among their infants.

Participants will:

1. Be recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention group or control group. Participants in the intervention group will have access to an AI assistant for RSV mAb-related health information and get a RSV mAb recommendation from primary care physicians, while participants in the control group will receive routine health education.
2. Complete a survey questionnaire assessing parents' perceived risk of RSV disease, RSV prevention literacy, confidence in using RSV mAb, and willingness to use RSV mAb for their infants.
3. Have their infants' RSV mAb uptake assessed at the end of the trial.

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+Detailed description

A randomized controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an AI-assisted primary care intervention to improve RSV mAb uptake among infants in China, with additional health economic and implementation evaluation to assess its cost-effectiveness and potential for scale-up.

The sample size calculation is based on the primary outcome measure (RSV mAb uptake rate) and the main analysis method (comparison of rates between two groups). Based on literature review and survey, the current RSV mAb uptake rate among infants is estimated to be approximately 10%. We assume that the uptake rate could increase to 15% following the intervention. Using the formula for comparing two independent proportions, the minimum required sample size is calculated to be 683 participants in each group, with a significance level (α) of 0.05 and a statistical power (1-β) of 0.80. To account for potential loss to follow-up, assuming a 10% loss to follow-up rate, each group will include 750 participants, with a total sample size of 1,500.

A randomized controlled design will be employed across China. Eligible parents of infants who provide written informed consent will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group or the control group. The randomization sequence will be generated in advance by a statistician using a computer-generated random number method. At each study site, participants will be allocated sequentially according to their order of enrolment. Due to the nature of intervention, blinding of participants and on-site intervention implementers is not feasible. Local coordinators, outcome assessors, data managers, and statistical analysts will remain blinded to group allocation throughout the study to minimize assessment and analysis bias.

Building on the evaluation of intervention effectiveness, we will conduct a health economic evaluation to assess the economic value of the RSV AI-assisted primary care intervention. In addition, an implementation science study guided by the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) will assess the real-world implementation of the RSV AI-assisted primary care intervention for RSV prevention.

Statistical Analysis

1. Primary Outcome Analysis An intention-to-treat (ITT) approach will be used as the primary analysis strategy, with all randomly assigned participants analyzed according to their original group allocation. Between-group comparisons will be performed using t-tests for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical variables.

The primary outcome is RSV mAb uptake among the infants of study participants within one and three months after the intervention. A log-binomial regression model will be used to estimate the relative risk (RR) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI), with CHCs included as a fixed effect and adjustment for prespecified covariates. If the log-binomial model fails to converge, a modified Poisson regression model will be used instead. The adjusted absolute risk difference and its 95% CI will also be estimated from the regression model to evaluate the public health significance of the intervention. Prespecified covariates will include region, infants (sex, age in months, and singleton status) and their parents (parenthood, age, education level, occupation, enrollment in employee basic medical insurance, and household income). Pre-specified subgroup analyses will be conducted by including subgroup variables and their interaction terms with the intervention group in the primary analysis model, to assess heterogeneity of intervention effects across participant characteristics. Prespecified subgroups will include region, infants (sex, age in months, and singleton status) and their parents (parenthood, age, education level, occupation, enrollment in employee basic medical insurance, and household income).
2. Secondary Outcomes Analysis Secondary outcomes include time to RSV mAb uptake among the infants of parents within three months following the intervention; parental perceived risk of RSV disease; parental RSV prevention literacy; parental confidence in RSV mAb; and willingness to use RSV mAb for their infants. Time-to-event analyses for time to RSV mAb uptake will be conducted using Kaplan-Meier methods and compared between groups with the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards models will be used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Perceived risk of RSV disease, RSV mAb confidence, and willingness to use RSV mAb will be analyzed as binary outcomes using the same log-binomial or modified Poisson regression models as for the primary outcome, accounting for CHCs effects. Results will be reported as relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs. RSV prevention literacy will be analyzed as a continuous outcome using linear regression models, accounting for CHC effects. Intervention effects will be estimated after adjustment for prespecified covariates, with results reported as adjusted mean differences (aMDs) and 95% CIs. Prespecified subgroup analyses will be performed by including subgroup variables and their interaction terms with intervention assignment in the analysis models to assess heterogeneity of intervention effects across participant characteristics. Prespecified subgroups will include region, infants (sex, age in months, and singleton status) and their parents (parenthood, age, education level, occupation, enrollment in employee basic medical insurance, and household income).
3. Sensitivity Analysis A per-protocol (PP) analysis will be conducted as a sensitivity analysis to assess the robustness of the primary findings. The PP analysis will include intervention-group participants who complete the prescribed AI assisted primary care intervention, as well as participants in the control group. In addition, within the intervention group, intervention engagement will be assessed on the basis of AI assistant usage and physician recommendation. Participants will be categorized into high- and low-engagement groups. Differences in intervention effects between these engagement levels will then be compared to assess the association between intervention intensity and RSV mAb uptake.

+Arms and interventions

ArmTypeInterventionsDescription
RSV AI-assisted primary care Intervention GroupExperimentalBehavioral: RSV AI-assisted primary care interventionPrimary care physicians will provide brief health education to parents of infants on RSV prevention and will recommend the use of the RSV AI assistant via an educational pamphlet. Participants will interact with the AI assistant on site for at least 5 minutes. For those who are eligible and express willingness to use RSV mAb for their children, primary care physicians will assist with appointment scheduling and administration for RSV mAb. Participants who do not complete mAb injection on site will subsequently receive phone reminders to schedule an appointment and complete injection. In addition, primary care physicians will establish WeChat groups to deliver intervention reinforcement. Brief health-education information cards with access links to the AI assistant will be sent to participants on the day of the intervention and at two weeks, one month, and two months thereafter as reminders.
Control GroupNo interventionParticipants will receive only routine health education without additional intervention. After completion of the study, access to the RSV AI assistant will be made available to participants in the control group.
  • RSV AI-assisted primary care intervention (Behavioral): Primary care physicians will provide brief health education to parents of infants on RSV prevention and will recommend the use of an AI-powered RSV Chatbot for at least 5 minutes. For those who are eligible and express willingness to use RSV mAb for their children, primary care physicians will assist with appointment scheduling and administration for RSV mAb. The AI-powered RSV Chatbot is designed to provide information and health education about RSV prevention. It is powered by large language models and is trained on an expert-validated knowledge base derived from authoritative sources such as the National Health Commission and China CDC to ensure accuracy. The chatbot engages users in interactive, conversational dialogue to answer questions and address concerns regarding RSV prevention. It is delivered via WeChat or a web browser for user access and offers both conversational and navigational interaction modes, supporting text and voice input.

+Outcome measures

Primary outcomes

  • RSV mAb uptake [Within one and three months after the intervention initiation]: Whether eligible infants receive RSV monoclonal antibody (mAb) during the study period, measured by official vaccination records.

Secondary outcomes

  • Time to RSV mAb uptake [Within three months after the intervention initiation]: Time from the intervention initiation to RSV mAb uptake among eligible infants, measured by official vaccination records. Unit of Measure: days.
  • Intention to Use RSV mAb [The same day after the intervention initiation]: Whether a participant plan to use RSV mAb for his infants within the RSV season, assessed by questionnaire. It is a binary variable and categorized as intended or unintended.
  • Risk Perception on RSV Disease [The same day after the intervention initiation]: Perceived susceptibility to and severity of RSV disease among parents, assessed by questionnaire. It is a binary variable and categorized as high or low risk perception.
  • RSV prevention literacy [The same day after the intervention initiation]: Parents' RSV prevention literacy, assessed by the total number of correct answers on a series of questions about RSV and RSV monoclonal antibody (mAb).
  • Confidence in RSV mAb [The same day after the intervention initiation]: Parents' confidence in the importance, effectiveness, and safety of RSV monoclonal antibody (mAb), assessed by questionnaire. It is a binary variable and categorized as high or low confidence.

Other outcomes

  • Usability of AI-assisted primary care intervention [The same day after the intervention initiation]: The usability of the AIPC intervention will be evaluated using a series of questions on its acceptability, feasibility, and sustainability, including AI chatbot and primary care physician recommendation. The Likert 5-point scale is used, with scores ranging from 1 to 5 on a scale of "completely disagree" to "completely agree". Higher scores indicating greater perceived usability of the AIPC intervention.
  • Cost of AI-assisted primary care intervention [Within three months after the intervention initiation]: The cost of designing and implementing the RSV AI-assisted primary care intervention. Unit of Measure: Chinese Yuan (CNY).

+Eligibility

Sex: All, ages: 0 Months to 6 Months, accepts healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

* Infants born on or after May 1, 2026;
* Infants who have not received RSV mAb and are eligible for RSV mAb administration;
* Parents who have access to an electronic device that can be used to scan QR codes and are able to participate in the study activities;
* Parents who provide written informed consent and voluntarily agree to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Infants born before May 1, 2026;
* Infants who have already received RSV mAb or are not eligible for RSV mAb administration;
* Parents who do not have access to an electronic device capable of scanning QR codes or who are unable to participate in the study activities;
* Parents who do not provide written informed consent or do not voluntarily agree to participate in the study.

+Publications

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  • Passanante A, Pertwee E, Lin L, Lee KY, Wu JT, Larson HJ. Conversational AI and Vaccine Communication: Systematic Review of the Evidence. J Med Internet Res. 2023 Oct 3;25:e42758. doi: 10.2196/42758. PMID 37788057
  • Cosma C, Radi A, Cattano R, Zanobini P, Bonaccorsi G, Lorini C, Del Riccio M. Exploring Chatbot contributions to enhancing vaccine literacy and uptake: A scoping review of the literature. Vaccine. 2025 Jan 12;44:126559. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126559. Epub 2024 Nov 30. PMID 39615346
  • Hou Z, Wu Z, Qu Z, Gong L, Peng H, Jit M, Larson HJ, Wu JT, Lin L. A vaccine chatbot intervention for parents to improve HPV vaccination uptake among middle school girls: a cluster randomized trial. Nat Med. 2025 Jun;31(6):1855-1862. doi: 10.1038/s41591-025-03618-6. Epub 2025 Apr 7. PMID 40195450
  • Li Y, Liang S, Zhu B, Liu X, Li J, Chen D, Qin J, Bressington D. Feasibility and effectiveness of artificial intelligence-driven conversational agents in healthcare interventions: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Int J Nurs Stud. 2023 Jul;143:104494. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2023.104494. Epub 2023 Apr 5. PMID 37146391
  • Wang Q, Xiu S, Yang L, Li L, Yang M, Wang X, Shen Y, Wang W, Lin L. Perceptions about respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and attitudes toward the RSV vaccine among the general public in China: A cross-sectional survey. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2024 Dec 31;20(1):2310916. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2310916. Epub 2024 Feb 18. PMID 38369712
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  • Jimeno Ruiz S, Pelaez A, Labourt A, Acuna FM, Linares L, Llana Martin I, Calle Gomez A, Martinez SN. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Nirsevimab in Reducing Pediatric RSV Hospitalizations in Spain. Vaccines (Basel). 2024 Oct 11;12(10):1160. doi: 10.3390/vaccines12101160. PMID 39460326
  • Li J, Suo L, Wei L, Cao Z, Lu F, Xu H, Luo J, Shen Y, Gao P, Wu D, Feng Z, Yu R, Guo M, Wang Q, Yang P. Real-world effectiveness of nirsevimab against RSV hospitalisation in infants during a season with low coverage and delayed circulation in Beijing, China: a population-based retrospective cohort study. Lancet Reg Health West Pac. 2026 Apr 17;69:101861. doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2026.101861. eCollection 2026 Apr. PMID 42022153
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