Feasibility of AI-Enabled Chatbots for Pre-consultation in HIV Care in Northern Nigeria
Cross-sectional interviewer-administered survey of 427 adults on antiretroviral treatment attending the HIV clinic of a tertiary referral centre in Kano, northern Nigeria, on awareness, use and determinants of AI chatbot use for HIV-related questions. Three quarters were aware of AI chatbots, 72.6% had used one, and 66.5% had used a chatbot for HIV-related queries, most often for general HIV and treatment information, checking side effects and preparing questions for clinicians. Younger age, post-secondary education, being married, shorter time on treatment and comorbidities independently predicted HIV-related chatbot use.
Publisher
International Journal of Behavioral Medicine (Springer); Bayero University Kano, Department of Community Medicine; Kano Independent Research Centre Trust
Published
14 Sept 2026
Added
today
Key Findings
- 427 adults on antiretroviral treatment, systematic sampling, validated culturally adapted questionnaire
- 75.2% were aware of AI chatbots, 72.6% had ever used one, and 66.5% had used one for HIV-related queries
- Uses: general HIV and treatment information (36.3%), checking treatment side effects (23.4%), preparing questions for clinicians (15.0%)
- Independent predictors of HIV-related chatbot use: age under 20 versus 50 and over (adjusted odds ratio 3.35, 95% CI 1.12 to 5.21), post-secondary education (3.23, 1.58 to 6.25), being married (2.26, 1.11 to 6.91), under one year on treatment (1.91, 1.15 to 5.67) and comorbidities
Methodology Notes
Single tertiary centre; self-reported use; Socio-Ecological Model and Technology Acceptance Model as frameworks; multivariable logistic regression. Ethics approval Bayero University Kano Research Ethics Committee (NHREC/BUK-HREC/635/2311, 12 August 2025); partly supported by the US NIH Fogarty International Center and NIAAA. Published online 14 September 2026; paywalled. The Springer page returns a challenge page to direct fetches; verified through the reader-proxy render of the article page (title, publication date, structured abstract, affiliations, ethics statement) and the OpenAlex record.
Authors
Iliyasu, Zubairu, Mubarak, Adeyemo, Iliyasu, Bilkisu Z., Umar, Amina A., Abdullahi, Hadiza M., Tsiga-Ahmed, Fatimah I., Kwaku, Aminatu A., Amole, Taiwo G.
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Cite This
APA
Iliyasu, Zubairu et al. (2026). Feasibility of AI-Enabled Chatbots for Pre-consultation in HIV Care in Northern Nigeria. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine (Springer); Bayero University Kano, Department of Community Medicine; Kano Independent Research Centre Trust. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12529-026-10488-w
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