Principal Investigator: Dr. Narjis Rizvi
Co-Principal Investigator: Professor Sarah Saleem
Funded by: Internal Funding
Project Duration: 12 months
Project Sites: Azam Basti (Karachi) and Matiari (Sindh)
Project Summary:
This project aims to develop and evaluate an AI-based family planning (FP) information chatbot designed to support married couples in making informed fertility decisions. Using a mixed-methods feasibility design, the study will first identify local FP information needs through a cross-sectional KAP survey and qualitative engagement with key stakeholders, including married couples, healthcare workers, community influentials, political and religious leaders, and technology experts.
Insights from these assessments will guide the co-design of culturally relevant FP content and the iterative development of a multilingual chatbot capable of delivering personalized, accessible information on FP methods and services. The project will then test the chatbot’s usability, followed by an assessment of its feasibility, acceptability, and contextual enablers and barriers in both urban and rural settings.
The study aims to generate foundational evidence to support future scale-up and extramural funding, including the design of a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the chatbot’s effectiveness. Through this approach, the project seeks to enhance FP knowledge, improve informed decision-making, and expand equitable access to reliable reproductive health information for married couples in Pakistan.
