Self-management for Chronic Illness: A Scoping Review on Designing Virtual Assistants for Patient-Centered Care

Chronic illnesses (CI) are increasing worldwide, positioning virtual assistants (VAs) as valuable tools for supporting patients in self-management. As effective self-management relies on holistic, patient-centered practices, AI is increasingly integrated into VAs to provide more personalized support. Yet, it is essential that VA design processes remain grounded in participatory approaches prioritizing patients' values, needs, and lived experiences. To assess the current state of VA design processes, we conducted a scoping review of 55 papers examining how care is framed and patients are involved. Our findings reveal AI-driven VAs prioritize reductionist approaches over holistic care with minimal patient involvement. This highlights a gap between the potential of patient-centered care technology and current implementation practices. Our contributions include (1) a mapping of care dimensions currently implemented in VAs, (2) a categorization of patient roles in the design process, and (3) design implications to expand care dimensions and patient involvement in AI-driven VAs.

• Human-centered computing → HCI design and evaluation methods.