A virtual healthcare assistant can do far more than share information. According to New Scientist, hundreds of thousands of people say “Good morning” to Alexa every day. AI chatbots are everywhere, and people love digital assistants. So chatbots may one day take over messaging apps across many sectors.
Healthcare shows almost limitless room for growth. Healthcare assistants gather information through conversation and analyse a patient’s symptoms. AI and natural language processing make this possible, because they let chatbots talk in a more human way.
Global tech advisory firm ABI Research expected AI spending in healthcare and pharma to grow from USD 463 million in 2019 to over USD 2 billion within five years.
Virtual healthcare assistants deliver quality medical help at low cost. AI chatbots support advanced patient care and better experiences through virtual diagnosis and data analysis. In turn, patients become more proactive about their health.
What can a healthcare assistant do?
Here is how you can build an army of digital assistants.
Consultation and advice
Digital assistants can consult patients and give advice. Many common health issues do not need a doctor. Chatbots analyse symptoms with AI, find a solution and answer questions. The goal is not to replace doctors or their diagnoses. Instead, it is to give timely basic medical help.
Managing prescriptions
Suppose a patient often forgets their medicine. They simply tell the chatbot the medicine’s name and how often to take it. The bot then reminds them at the right times.
Booking appointments
Chatbots can automate bookings. They streamline the patient journey and direct people based on their symptoms. Bots can also confirm, reschedule or cancel appointments. As a result, receptionists can focus on patients arriving at outpatient departments.
Diet and exercise advice
Diet and fitness now matter to most people. A chatbot can track each patient’s dietary needs and advise them based on their physical abilities. It can also handle post-surgery diets and follow-ups.
Symptom checking and screening
Healthcare chatbots can screen patients at huge scale using analytics. One bot can talk with thousands of people at once, at any time, and answer immediately. Symptom checks let the bot use algorithms to work out likely causes and suggest solutions.
For example, a new mother has a thousand questions about her baby. She will not call her paediatrician just to ask whether her baby sleeps enough. These questions matter, but they do not need a professional. A symptom checker can review the baby’s symptoms and advise whether a check-up is needed or suggest care at home.
This matters, because a study in the Journal of Pediatrics found that 56% of websites00628-2/fulltext) gave inaccurate or irrelevant health information.
What does the future hold?
There is no limit to how chatbots can improve our lives. Digital health assistants manage health very efficiently, and they keep getting better as they learn from each patient. One day, we may share medical reports with chatbots and receive wise advice. They might even nudge us towards better health with game-like rewards. AI chatbots in healthcare keep growing and promise better care through streamlined systems.
Read more about healthcare chatbots and conversational AI in healthcare.