In recent years, conversational artificial intelligence (AI) has substantially enhanced functions across sectors. Especially in the retail domain, where conversational AI has significantly improved customer experience through search and shopping assistants. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine and conversational AI-powered bots are altering our perceptions in healthcare also
In recent years, conversational artificial intelligence (AI) has substantially enhanced functions across sectors. Especially in the retail domain, where conversational AI has significantly improved customer experience through search and shopping assistants. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine and conversational AI-powered bots are altering our perceptions in healthcare also. The pandemic changed healthcare, including how providers interact with patients, doctor visits and beyond.
As a result, the applications of conversational AI in healthcare have increased dramatically. According to ResearchAndMarkets.com, the AI healthcare sector is predicted to grow at 45.3 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) from $6.1 billion in 2021 to $39.5 billion in 2026. Approximately 52 per cent of patients access their health data using chatbots and approximately 36 per cent approve of their use in treatment.
Conversational AI Transforming Patient Experience
The current doctor-patient ratio is poorly balanced. Exhausted doctors must cram as many patients as possible into their schedules, lowering the quality of physician-patient encounter. Conversational AI, on the other hand, can significantly improve service quality by automating routine processes.
The technology can assist healthcare personnel in diagnosing symptoms on the move, distinguishing between patients who require immediate attention and those who don’t, and scheduling appointments appropriately. Furthermore, they can collect basic, real-time information of patient check-ins, reducing the risk of human error.
Patients can also share details of their ailments into AI-enabled applications for healthcare and receive an accurate analysis of what they're dealing with, all without annoyance or delay. Conversational AI can help patients through reminders to take medicines, follow-ups with the doctor, health check-ups.
It can also be used as a medical assistant, answering questions about drugs, diet and general healthcare. They can deliver customized responses depending on the patient’s medical history, making the end-user experience even better. According to a PubMed Central (PMC) article, 73 per cent of healthcare conversational AI users are satisfied, a rate expected to increase as more hyper-personalisation capabilities are included.
Revolutionising Care and Reducing Physicians’ Burden
According to a study by eligibility.com, 89 per cent of people conduct research on Google before going to the doctor. Also, conversational AI works wonders when working with patients in remote locations. When a patient’s health is at risk, a specialised assessment is crucial. Conversational AI can help. Virtual agents (VAs) can assist in clinical decision-making in addition to instant diagnosis. Doctors can filter and focus on important information from patient reports with the use of natural language processing (NLP).
Another significant feature of AI chatbots is their ability to save each patient’s medical information in a database. When a physician is unavailable, VAs at contact centres assist patients with quicker responses by providing first-aid information They can reach out to the VA with health-related queries, report early warning signals and schedule a follow-up appointment to ensure they’re on track. For fully recovered patients, this can reduce the need for physical exams, freeing up doctors’ time to see more patients.
Besides helping patients and caregivers, AI helps the medical insurance business. Patient clinical record analytics are crucial and a high level of data quality is required, which is why data processing could be delegated to smart algorithms. Robotic process automation (RPA) can let caregivers focus on more important activities by automating repetitive operations. RPA assists the hospital management system through a streamlined and structured document processing procedure, including many medical claims, records, electronic health records (EHRs) and other documents. This beneficial method not only automates medical records, but it also relieves workers of time-consuming manual duties, resulting in better care outcomes.
Conversational AI in healthcare is altering patient care, assisting healthcare providers and lowering their workload. Beyond revolutionising, the increasing application of AI is most likely to uncover ways to speed up the diagnosis and enhance healthcare.
http://bwhealthcareworld.businessworld.in/article/How-Conversational-AI-Is-Changing-The-Quality-of-Healthcare-/17-06-2022-433055/
