Incorporating conversational interface in self-service vending system for over-the-counter

摘要

Over-the-counter medicines (OTC) are now a commonpractice in Japan since the development of self-medication.Self-medication is not only economically beneficial to thehealth care system, but also have lots of advantages forconsumers because of its convenience and effectiveness.Despite the advantages, OTCs are not always safe. Issuesconcerned self-medication are reported all over the world,including misuse and overdose, which might result from thelack of awareness and documentation about OTC medicationuse. This study proposes an approach to guiding consumersconduct better self-medication from the perspective oftechnology based on the study by Shinoda. Regarding therisk perception, existing literatures have found that the higherperceived social presence may attract more attention, which inturn contributes to the increase in the risk perception.Further, conversational agents are pointed to be a effective wayin increasing social presence. Thus, the incorporation ofconversational interface in the OTCs self-service vendingtablet was considered and its feasibility was examined.