Webelight Solutions Blog: Insights on IT, Innovation, and Digital Trends

Impact of AI Chatbots and Virtual Assistants in Healthcare

DEC 09, 2024

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There is a never-ending demand for innovation in the healthcare industry. And why shouldn’t it be? Maintaining good health for life is the top-most priority of any individual. One innovation in health tech that has been doing great is conversational AI assistants. This is demonstrated by the expected growth of the global market for chatbots for healthcare, which is expected to reach 1179.81 million USD in 2030 from 248.93 million USD in 2022. Chatbots and healthcare virtual assistant services are some popular trends in health tech. They are becoming more advanced, innovative, and helpful daily. Since they offer quick help and are always available, they beat the factor of time during emergencies and provide the method for diagnosis in less than a minute. Let’s talk about how impactful conversational AI technology will be in the future of health tech and what challenges the healthcare industry will have to overcome to make the most fruitful use of these innovations. 

 

Global Healthcare Chatbots Market, By Regions, 2023 to 2032

 

Healthcare chatbot: Your conversational AI friend

 

Chatbot in health tech is a program developed with artificial intelligence and trained using the expertise of human healthcare professionals. It’s an instant messaging service that interacts with users through text or speech and responds to their questions elegantly. They can detect human speech, tone, and volume to mimic human behaviour and generate responses with extraordinary accuracy. 

This automated conversational AI tool receives a message from the patient who wants to share their symptoms and receive a prescription. Using natural language processing, it interprets the words to understand the context and meaning behind the phrase. It digs into its database to find a suitable predefined response to address the user’s query, detect their disease, and generate a prescription. 

The first-ever chatbot in health tech developed by mankind was named "Eliza." She was created to perform psychotherapy. By implementing substitution methodology and pattern matching, she surprised humans with her astonishing ability to understand and relate to their worries and problems. However, she needed to improve at answering complex questions and had her own set of limitations.

 

 

History of Chatbots

 

Healthcare virtual assistants: Smart, swift & secure companions

 

A virtual assistant is a bot developed with the help of machine learning and artificial intelligence that can simplify the regular tasks of medical professionals, provide assistance in work, and collaborate with them to finish the job more efficiently. If you are feeling sick and consult with a virtual assistant, it will ask you about your day, your symptoms, some questions about your diet routine and fitness, and how long you have felt a certain way. It will behave just like any human being but in a more warm, concerned, and professional manner. After carefully listening to your plans, it will process that information and instantly generate a prescription you can take to your nearest dispensary. 

The fundamental difference is that traditional chatbots are like pre-trained parrots with limited responses to user queries. A Virtual assistant is an innovation in health tech that depends on artificial emotional intelligence and NLU to respond to user requests with better accuracy. Most conversations on the chatbot interface are text-based, while virtual assistants understand images, audio commands, and text input as they can quickly gauge human sentiments.  

 

Healthcare virtual assistants

 

Various kinds of virtual assistants in the healthcare sector

 

1) Virtual Receptionist 

If someone contacts you and you are not able to pick up the call for some reason, the bot toward which the call is directed is a virtual receptionist. As the first point of contact, the virtual receptionist serves at the front desk, handles phone calls, organizes conferences, addresses queries, schedules appointments, and confirms bookings. For exceptional cases, the call is escalated to a human assistant trained to handle various situations. 

2) Medical Scribe

A virtual medical scribe enters patient information directly into the EMR during live patient visits. Trained extensively in various EMR systems, they document clinical encounters according to the provider's preferences. Before each session, they prepare charts and review patient details. Scribes record vital information like medical histories, exam findings, and treatment plans during visits in real-time. They clarify any uncertainties with the provider and finalize charts for review and approval. 

3) Medical Transcriptionists

A medical transcriptionist, often known as a medical transcriber, listens to audio recordings made by doctors and other healthcare professionals and converts these recordings into written medical reports. These reports contain patient histories, discharge summaries, and other vital medical documents. They are typically employed by physicians' clinics, hospitals, and third-party or transcription services.

4) Telephone triage medical assistant

A triage virtual assistant is a professional who acts like a virtual medical administrative assistant. It supports patients and healthcare providers by managing phone calls. Their primary role is to assess the caller's needs and direct them to the appropriate person or department for further assistance. A virtual medical administrative assistant handles incoming calls from patients and healthcare professionals, evaluates the caller's needs, and ensures they are connected to the right resources. 

 

Virtual assistants in scrubs: Taking charge of the healthcare industry

 

1) Data Analysis & health-check

Chatbots can integrate with wearable devices and health-tracking tools to monitor vital signs, physical activity, and sleep patterns. By analyzing this data, they can provide insights into trends and suggest ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

2) 24/7 Availability at your fingertips

Healthcare chatbot integration can provide round-the-clock assistance to patients. They make information and support accessible at any time, which is particularly useful for addressing non-emergency medical inquiries, scheduling appointments, and offering essential health advice.

3) Reminder for medication

Virtual assistants can help patients manage their medications by sending reminders for dosages and refills. This feature promotes medication adherence and reduces the risk of missed doses or medication errors.

4) Personalized patient assistance

These health tech solutions can use machine learning and AI algorithms to analyze patient data and medical records to understand symptoms and recommend appropriate healthcare professionals. They can alter their responses based on individual needs, preferences, and medical histories to deliver customized guidance.

5) Multi-language support

Healthcare chatbots can automatically detect and respond in multiple languages. Right from simple greetings to handling complex inquiries, chatbots can make communication more inclusive and personalized. This feature benefits patients who may have difficulty with the primary language the healthcare provider speaks.  

6) Paperwork automation

Virtual assistants in healthcare abolish traditional document management with tools like robotic process automation (RPA) and intelligent data extraction. They efficiently schedule appointments, verify insurance claims, and manage patient records. Beyond cutting administrative burdens, automation enhances patient safety by reducing errors and providing instant access to accurate data.

 

These were some of the top advantages of chatbots in healthcare, tackling challenges such as enhancing patient engagement, streamlining administrative tasks, and improving communication—areas that often contribute to delays, frustration, and inefficiencies in healthcare software systems.

 

Virtual assistants in healthcare

 

Top Use Cases of AI Chatbots and Virtual Assistants in Healthcare 

 

1) Patient Support: Symptom checkers and health education

Virtual assistants serve as health tech solutions that offer patients a quick and reliable way to assess their health based on their symptoms. They can instantly answer questions, provide preliminary advice, and even direct patients to appropriate healthcare professionals. They can intervene early by identifying potential health risks and act as health educators by providing evidence-based, reliable information about various health conditions. Numerous inquiries can be simultaneously processed with virtual assistants, reducing the pressure on hospital staff.    

2) Mental Health Assistance: AI chatbots for therapy and emotional support

Many individuals hesitate to seek help due to the stigma surrounding mental health or fear of judgment. Still, chatbots emerged as one of the trusted trends in health tech that offer a safe, non-judgmental space where people can express their concerns freely. Virtual assistants maintain privacy and anonymity while providing accessible, personalized support. This is especially valuable in crises, where chatbots can offer immediate emotional support, provide resources, and even alert emergency services. They also offer consistent, reliable assistance by reminding users of self-care tasks or upcoming appointments. 

3) Telemedicine Support: Streamlining virtual consultations

Patients can communicate with healthcare providers without the delays and frustrations of traditional methods. For example, suppose a patient is experiencing symptoms and needs immediate feedback. In that case, they can interact with a chatbot to describe their concerns and receive instant advice on potential causes and next steps, all from their home. These AI-powered tools simplify scheduling and pre-appointment instructions, allowing patients to book or reschedule appointments without waiting on hold.

4) Chronic Disease Management: Monitoring and reminders for medication or lifestyle changes

Voice assistants have proved very useful for treating conditions like type 2 diabetes. A recent study showed that a voice-based AI assistant powered by Amazon Alexa significantly improved the self-management of insulin dosing and glycemic control for diabetes patients. Many people with type 2 diabetes struggle to keep their blood sugar levels in check. With voice-based AI assistants, patients can self-titrate their insulin doses at home by following simple instructions provided by the AI.  

5) Administrative Assistance: Scheduling and follow-up communications

Imagine juggling multiple client calls, meetings, and appointments—it can quickly become overwhelming. Virtual assistants can help with these tasks by handling appointment scheduling, ensuring no conflicts in your calendar, and even managing follow-up calls and emails for you. With their ability to respond to texts, emails, and calls, these assistants can ensure nothing slips through the cracks, all while freeing up your time for more critical tasks. These tools can keep your schedule organized and your communications with patients on point. 

 

Challenges for Virtual Assistants in Healthcare

 

1) Legacy system integration

The healthcare industry has a dozen IT systems from various vendors. Integrating healthcare chatbots with these systems can take time and effort due to compatibility issues and non-standardized data-sharing protocols.

2) Communication & language barriers

Although many chatbots can communicate in multiple languages, they may need help with mixed-language input, such as combining Hindi and English or using Hindi in the English script. This creates more confusion while communicating with them.

3) Data privacy and security 

Handling sensitive patient information necessitates robust data security measures. Ensuring encryption, compliance with data protection regulations, and secure data storage is vital for maintaining patients' trust and confidentiality.

4) Human-machine interaction

While chatbots can simplify routine tasks and provide initial support, they should not replace human medical professionals. Finding the right balance between AI chatbots and human medical staff is also essential. 

5) Obligations and accountability

Misdiagnoses or incorrect information provided by chatbots raise questions of liability. Establishing accountability when errors occur is a complex issue that needs to be addressed.

 

Some noteworthy examples of chatbots in healthcare

 

1) Vee 

Vee is a chatbot that uses natural language processing and machine learning to offer personalized insights to healthcare providers. It can analyze a patient’s medical history, current medications, and potential drug interactions and provide valuable information that helps in the patient's treatment. Other healthcare virtual assistant companies are still trying to match the level of personalization that Vee offers.

2) Sophia 

Sophia is a voice-activated AI assistant designed to help healthcare providers manage patient caseloads and schedule appointments. It understands complex medical terminology and provides personalized recommendations using natural language processing and machine learning.

3) Alexa 

Amazon Echo's Alexa became a valuable companion in offering comfort to seniors with dementia. People who suffer from dementia ask the same question repetitively, which can be annoying for an impatient human being. But one of the best things about Alexa is its patience. It doesn't bother answering the same question three times.  There were one of the few famous examples of chatbots in healthcare.

 

Forthcoming era of virtual assistants: Your next family doctor

 

The market for healthcare virtual assistants is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34.01% from 2021 to 2028. It is estimated to reach US$5,310.31 million from US$684.07 million in 2021. Let’s look at some of the anticipated trends that will impact the future of health tech and make conversational AI technology more useful for mankind.

 

Global Healthcare Chatbots Market, By Regions, 2023 to 2031

 

1) Predictive personal assistance

Future virtual assistants will cautiously manage schedules, prioritize essential emails, and suggest relevant content based on user interests. This shift towards predictive assistance will make virtual assistants the go-to tools in both personal and professional domains.

2) Voice technology and natural language processing

With improvements in NLP, voice-activated assistants will develop intuitive thinking and make more human-like conversations. These virtual assistants will understand and execute complex commands and improve accessibility.

3) Robust security through blockchain

Blockchain technology offers a decentralized and encrypted solution to secure sensitive healthcare data. This helps maintain data integrity, protects it against unauthorized access, and makes virtual assistants more reliable and secure.

4) Integration of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)

AR and VR will open new dimensions to virtual assistance. They will provide training and collaboration opportunities. Virtual assistants will guide users through virtual simulations or offer real-time AR overlays for complex tasks, improving service delivery.

 

Get an AI-integrated virtual assistant for your healthcare facility

 

With the innovations in health tech, it is evident that the speed and accuracy of virtual assistants’ performance will also rapidly evolve. Whether it is a hospital, medical research institution, diagnostic and imaging center, public health agency, or rehab service, every healthcare facility can improve the lives of its patients if it utilizes the advantages of chatbots in healthcare and adapts to conversational AI. Many hospitals and clinics are partnering with healthcare virtual assistant companies to improve their patient engagement and reduce the workload on medical staff. As a renowned custom software development and Next-Gen AI Solutions provider company specialising in artificial and machine learning, Webelight Solutions Pvt. Ltd. has a workforce of highly skilled and experienced AI/ML engineers who deeply understand NLP, predictive machine learning, generative AI, and robotics. Our AI/ML engineers can develop the finest quality virtual assistant and healthcare solutions for you that can not only facilitate communication but also fetch patient records from EHR, schedule appointments, understand symptoms, plan insurance, and provide a memorable experience to patients. 

 

So don’t wait any longer—get in touch with our team and discuss your specific requirements for healthcare virtual assistant services and smooth healthcare chatbot integration. 

FAQ's

AI chatbots are revolutionizing healthcare by providing 24/7 patient support, assisting in preliminary diagnoses, and streamlining appointment scheduling. They reduce the burden on medical staff by handling routine inquiries and offering immediate guidance to patients, enhancing overall healthcare efficiency.