Technology Like Conversational AI and Chatbots Are Advancing the Digital Healthcare Revolution

There has been a lot of talk in the last couple of years about how digital healthcare is going to keep getting better and how new technology will affect patients’ health and how well they get tests. Those in need of treatment or guidance at the right moment now expect the medical sector to invest in digital solutions to physical problems, while providers have been striving to make the most of tech-centric technologies like Conversational AI and Chatbots that are increasingly available.

Public health and wellness have long benefited from technological advances, but the demands of a connected society have increased awareness of the possibilities while also pointing to new ways to participate online.

Even though certain recent advancements in healthcare have been hit-and-miss — electronic health records, for example, are only as helpful as the data that has been entered into them – the use of technology in healthcare has never been a concern. The medical business, on the other hand, is united in its willingness to embrace some interruption if it results in a beneficial influence on the overall patient experience.

One may argue that conversational AI which includes machine learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP) are the missing links in terms of technology that can both disrupt and increase people’s engagement with digital health. There is no reason why virtual assistants cannot provide you with medical advice when you need it, as they can already answer inquiries about the weather, start your car in the morning, and deliver jokes.

How We Can Use Conversational AI and Chatbots

While Conversational AI and Chatbots are being utilized in a wide range of industries such as healthcare, education, retail, and tourism, the World Economic Forum says that organizations can also use NLP in every day or tedious tasks by implementing Conversational AI and Chatbots. Most people associate chatbots with Amazon’s Alexa, but NLP is used in every contact to understand what is being asked and answer appropriately.

Creating the chatbot is the simple part, according to a WEF blog article from November 2021. When things go wrong digitally, it’s often because of their conversational component of them. It’s uncommon that the artificial character of these discussions is an issue when you’re talking to a finance bot or attempting to return a pair of shoes. A significant factor in whether or not an end-user feels comfortable knowing they are not conversing with a human being in a field like healthcare is the dialogue and the information that is being communicated during the discussion.

Localized health practitioners in rural areas of the world have already benefitted from using so-called health bots.

If you live in an area where you don’t have access to technology, the integration of these two concepts becomes more important. These tools are helping patients in Rwanda, where there are only one doctor and six healthcare staff for every 10,000 people, to have access to doctors and nurses, as well as vital healthcare information.

Concerns remain that consumers may avoid using chatbots because of a well-documented distrust of chatbots in general. This isn’t only an issue in underdeveloped nations; there appears to be a worldwide suspicion of chatbots as an accurate or useful engagement tool.

Despite the fact that conversational AI and chatbots are not new, their definitions might be broad. AI software that replicates human conversation with end-users, whether through text or voice, is referred to as a “chatbot.” The goal of this AI software is to use machine learning algorithms and natural language processing (NLP) to produce desired results.

As reported by Mobile Health News in May of 2020, one major healthcare provider is incorporating bots into its Emergency Department EHR system. This new digital experience comes after the WHO released bots for COVID-19, breast cancer messaging, mental health, and smoking cessation earlier this year.

Conversational AI and chatbots technology have been around for a while now, but the question is how we can use these tools to help alleviate patient concerns and reduce their anxiety or fear about anything. The advantages and disadvantages of deploying virtual assistants to provide health and wellness care must also be considered.

The focus of Conversational AI and Chatbots

Technology that can simulate human answers and eliminate the need for an actual human to be part of the conversation is growing in use and incorporation. SMBs are utilizing chatbots as their primary AI use case, for example, according to a recent survey of small and medium-sized businesses.

Conversational AI and Chatbots, with an emphasis on breastfeeding, recently underwent a study to see if first-time mothers would connect with them. Both the perception of chatbots by a focus group and the adoption rates by providers were particularly well-illustrated in this study, which was published in The Medical Sciences and Technology Journal of Mahatma Gandhi University.

When it comes to health and fitness, breastfeeding is often overlooked. Provision of essential nutrition for a newborn’s growth is revered in several cultures. Prenatal and postnatal information and advice are both vitally critical to a new mom’s ability to successfully breastfeed her child, and this practice is a critical component of both.

Pressures of modern life have lowered the number of women breastfeeding, with the pre-prepared formula being the most popular choice. Several factors contribute to this, including a new mother’s state of mind and worry combined with the social stigma attached to seeking guidance from others — nurses, lactation specialists, doctors, or even friends and family members. Choosing not to ask a question is the easier option in many situations.

There are certain Conversational AI and Chatbots that can provide medically appropriate advice in real-time, addressing awkward or relevant inquiries in real-time. Due to the large number of people who have access to the omnipresent computer that we all carry in our pockets, the chances for participation are virtually limitless.

It is also determined that the concept of an AI-enabled chatbot could relieve some of the stress that care workers face when dealing with delicate topics like breastfeeding.

To be clear, this was a theoretical study that focused more on how people perceive and use chatbots than it did on their actual implementation. Even as they become more prevalent in our personal lives, virtual assistant technology has yet to make its way into industries like healthcare.

Conclusion

Every day, we all engage with technology in some form or another, so it only makes it natural that the healthcare sector would follow suit. Digital health solutions are increasingly being integrated even though the sector is still heavily reliant on outdated technologies such as separate IT systems and pagers instead of wearables.

Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant have been around for at least five years; the typical individual is more likely to know these virtual assistants.  A lot of people don’t think about how chatbots can help people get information and get help, but they are in the same group.

These technologies, on the other hand, are here to stay, and there is a clear need for them to become not only a part of the digital health landscape but also a trusted resource for users. There is no need to wait for the future for the effective usage of Conversational AI and Chatbots to offer the relevant medical or clinical information at the right moment. Healthcare and life sciences companies need to think about how they want to use these things.

Also Read: Deep Learning and Its Amazing Developments

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