Chatbots in Healthcare

Artificial intelligence is one of the most talked-about topics in the last decade. The idea of software emulating human response to specific situations is fascinating, but what makes it more intriguing is the ability to evolve. AI evolves with time wherein it understands the behavioural responses and adjusts its working accordingly. With an unprecedented development in the AI and machine learning industry in the last couple of years, Chatbots have emerged as one of the leading applications of this technology.

In simple terms, Chatbot is a software program deployed on a webpage or an app to interact with the users on behalf of a human representative. Chatbots are based on AI. Therefore they analyse the input from the user (text or voice), run it against their database, and then offer the best possible solution according to the situation. Chatbots learn behavioural patterns of the users and improve their responses accordingly. Due to the numerous benefits on offer, Chatbots are enjoying acceptance across multiple industries, with healthcare being the most prominent one.

Well, the idea might sound a bit absurd, but in fact, chatbots have the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry. Healthcare services are increasingly becoming patient-centric; therefore, it has become essential for healthcare providers to offer personalized and timely services to the patients. As of now, the adoption rate for chatbots in the healthcare industry is low, but the number of chatbots in the healthcare industry is increasing every year. As the technology is improving every year, it is expected that in the next decade, most of the routine healthcare tasks will be taken care of by chatbots. The major reason behind this trend is the multiple advantages that healthcare sector can entail from chatbots. Here are the major advantages that chatbots have to offer: –

As the importance of customer satisfaction in the healthcare sector has touched new heights, service providers are keen to invest in tools that can deliver superior customer satisfaction experience. Chatbots are powered by the latest AI technology. Therefore they improve their responses with every interaction they have. This feature enables them to offer faster and accurate responses to customer queries in a time-bound manner, thereby enhancing their satisfaction levels significantly.

Humans are prone to errors and even a slight lapse while referring to healthcare reports of a patient can turn out to be fatal. This is where chatbots are emerging as a popular alternative. Chatbots are becoming faster and more intelligent and are now able to offer appropriate guidance to both patients and healthcare professionals.

By taking care of mundane tasks related to the healthcare industry, chatbots free up the professionals to focus on more important tasks. With all routine tasks taken care of, healthcare providers are able to learn more about the patients and then offer a better service which meets their expectations. Now patients go to a doctor only if the chatbot is unable to handle their query. By reducing the burden of basic queries on doctors, chatbots help enhance the efficiency of the doctors’ manifolds.

Not only are humans prone to errors but can not work round the clock, but this is not the case with chatbots. With chatbots on duty round the clock, they become the first point of contact for patients all day long. Not only can chatbots handle basic queries but offer advanced guidance on nutrition requirements, information pertaining to medical procedures, symptoms of ailments and much more.

Chatbots update the medical records of patients in real-time, thereby ensuring that the information accessed by the doctor is up to date. Moreover, by retrieving medical records in a timely and accurate manner, chatbots remove any chances of errors due to wrong records. This feature helps in saving many lives during crucial periods.