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Healthcare Chatbots: Innovative, Efficient, and Low-cost Care

A new report from Juniper Research has found that annual cost savings derived from the adoption of chatbots in healthcare will reach $3.6 billion (€3.04 billion) globally by 2022, up from an estimated $2.8 million (€2.36 million) in 2017. This growth will average 320% per annum, as AI (artificial intelligence) powered chatbots will drive improved customer experiences for patients.- IoTnow

Experts believe that medical chatbots will play an important role in the healthcare industry soon. While the world is facing the problem of information overload, bots can help in segregating good and bad/right and wrong data. Healthcare chatbots solve the most pressing medicine industry problems-

  1. Accessibility: The human workforce might not be available in every vital situation. But bots are. Thus making appointments and scheduling simple.
  2. SOS: Healthcare chatbots can also act as an alarm in the instances of life-threatening symptoms as described by the patients. 
  3. Customization: Bots with NLP capabilities can understand voice and text-based queries efficiently. This is especially helpful for people with visual or speech impairments. 
  4. Integrations: Chatbots are compatible with IoT devices like Google Home, Alexa, etc. 
  5. Personalization: Patient-specific bots can place a call, advise first-aid, and even send notifications/messages to physicians. 

Before we delve deep into medical chatbots, let’s quickly look at what exactly is a chatbot.

Chatbots Brief History

The first-ever computer program that could communicate with humans was Eliza, developed by MIT in 1966. Subsequently, with programs passing Turing tests, e-commerce, messaging, healthcare, and other enterprises indicated a deep interest in using chatbots.

A chatbot is an artificial intelligence program that can interact, respond, advise, assist, and converse with humans. It can mimic a two-way communication between two individuals. In the initial phases of chatbot implementation, tasks like — scheduling an appointment and answering fundamental queries, were accomplished. Today, the scope of chatbots is much broader with recommendations, references, diagnosis, and even preliminary treatments.

Snapshot of Your.MD healthcare chatbot illustrating the services it provides

How are Medical Chatbots Reshaping the Healthcare Industry?

Chatbots can help in improving Patients’ engagement and experiences with the hospital/physician. The following are the proven benefits of healthcare chatbots.

Accessible Anytime and Anywhere

Today, it is possible to embed chatbots on websites, mobile apps, and even third-party apps like Facebook and WhatsApp. There’s no need for downloading them explicitly and registration/activation. For instance, Religare, a leading health insurer has its chatbot integrated into WhatsApp

Generally, hospitals and other healthcare organizations provide chatbot in-built in their app. Apart from usual support, it also helps to secure your medical records in one place. This record can also be shared with the doctor whenever it is required.

There are mental health and therapy chatbots available that provide continuous support to patients with mental illness, depression, or sleeplessness. Wysa — a mental therapy chatbot is one such example. 

Chatbots for SOS (Emergency Alarms)

During the instances of life-threatening events/symptoms, chatbots can help in raising alarm automatically. For example, if a person who complains about chest pain does not respond to messages within a stipulated time, an emergency call made by the bot to healthcare/family/friends might help in attending the needful.

Customization

Organizations can customize chatbots to decipher different languages, voice accents, and text patterns. With different modes of conversations, chatbots can simplify communications. For instance, for a person with a visual disability, computer vision could be altered. For people with speech problems, chatbots with NLP capabilities can be beneficial. 

Another remarkable development in chatbots that we’re going to witness soon is that of Emotion AI. Soon the bots would be able to understand the user’s emotions based on text, voice, or sentence structure. This feature will be a great help for understanding the sentiments of people suffering from depression or any other kind of mental illness.

Integration with Different Platforms and Personalization

Because of their omnichannel nature, one can easily integrate bots with the web, mobile, or third-party apps, and APIs. They can even work with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Home. With seamless integration, a bot can place a call, advise you on first aid, analyze your medical history and send notifications to your doctor.

Voice-enabled chatbots and multilingual chatbots are disrupting the way customers engage with chatbots. Voice-enabled chatbots increase accessibility and speed up the query process, as the user does not have to type. More than 70% of Indians face challenges while using English keyboard, and approximately 60% of them find the language to be the key barrier in adopting digital tools. Vernacular language support can personalize the services for native users and make the whole process of maintaining medical records a lot easier. For instance, to automate help desk tasks and respond to customer queries, voice-driven chatbots can be integrated.

Indian chatbots like Hitee (designed for Indian SMEs) support several Indian regional languages including Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, Gujarati, Kannada and Malayalam.

Video conferencing chatbots can be used by private clinics and healthcare practitioners to converse with their patients.

5 Popular AI Healthcare Chatbots

  1. mfine: It is a digital health platform for on-demand healthcare services. It offers online consultation (text, audio, video), medicine delivery, follow-ups, and patient record management services.
  2. Wysa: Developed by Touchkin, Wysa is AI-powered stress, depression, and anxiety therapy chatbot. It helps people practice CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and DBT (Dialectical behavior therapy) techniques to build resilience. For additional support, it connects people with real human coaches.
  3. Mediktor: It is an accurate AI-based symptoms checker with great NLP (Natural Language Processing) capabilities.
  4. ZINI: It provides every user with a Unique Global Health ID that can be used for managing one’s healthcare information all over the world. It also creates an emergency medical profile for the patient for urgent medical requirements.
  5. Your.MD: It provides personalized information, guidance, and healthcare support. With an in-built symptom checker, vast medical database, health plans, and journals, it is a certified application for digital healthcare support.

To know more about how AI is innovating the healthcare industry in bringing the digital health era, check out our webinar on ‘Digital Health Beyond COVID-19: Bringing the Hospital to the Customer’ on our YouTube channel.

We specialize in building custom AI-powered chatbots specific to your business requirements. Feel free to drop us a word at hello@mantralabsglobal.com to know more.

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The Essence of User-Centered Design: A Dive into Fundamental Principles

In a digital world where user experience reigns supreme, crafting designs that resonate has become a mission. Enter User-Centered Design (UCD), a philosophy placing users at the core of the creative process. In this exploration, we’ll delve into the fundamental principles of User-Centered Design and understand why they are the keystones of successful interfaces.

User-Centered Design

Introduction:

Imagine navigating a website seamlessly, effortlessly finding what you need. That experience is no accident but the result of intentional design. User-centered design (UCD) is the compass guiding designers toward creating interfaces that users not only navigate but embrace.

1. Empathy is Key:

  • Incorporate for a better approach: Start by stepping into the shoes of your users. What are their pain points? What delights them? By empathizing, designers gain insights that drive user-focused design decisions.

2. User Involvement Throughout the Design Process:

  • Real-life example or statistic: Apple’s iterative design process involves user testing at every stage. This constant involvement ensures that their products align precisely with user needs.

3. Holistic Approach to Design:

  • Visual content: Picture your design not as isolated screens but as a cohesive journey. Use diagrams to illustrate how each component fits into the larger user experience ecosystem.

4. Usability is Non-Negotiable:

  • Case studies or examples: Consider the success of Google’s homepage. Its simplicity and efficiency showcase the power of a user-centered approach, emphasizing usability.

5. Accessibility for All:

  • End with a clear call-to-action: Make your designs accessible. It’s not just a legal obligation; it’s an ethical imperative. Ensure your interfaces are usable by everyone, regardless of ability.

6. Consistency Across the Interface:

  • Formatting for readability: Consistency is not just a design principle; it’s a readability strategy. Use bullet points for clarity and short paragraphs for easy consumption.

7. Flexibility and Customization:

  • Inclusive language: Users are diverse, so should your designs be. Incorporate flexibility and customization options. This ensures your interface caters to a broad range of preferences.

Why User-Centered Design Matters:

A. Enhanced User Satisfaction:

  • Feedback mechanism: Prioritize user satisfaction. A satisfied user is an engaged user. Welcome reader input and questions to keep the conversation alive.

B. Reduced Learning Curve:

  • Clear call-to-action: Minimize frustration. Make your interfaces intuitive, reducing the learning curve. Invite users to explore with a clear call-to-action.

C. Increased Engagement and Retention:

  • Visual content: Engaging interfaces retain users. Visualize engagement with appealing images or infographics. Showcase how user-centered designs reduce bounce rates.

D. Effective Problem Solving:

  • Tangible proof: Case studies offer tangible proof. Explore how UCD’s iterative process allows for effective problem-solving. Real-world examples bring these concepts to life.

Conclusion:

In the grand tapestry of digital design, User-Centered Design is the thread weaving functionality, aesthetics, and user satisfaction into a seamless whole. By embracing these principles, designers transform mere interfaces into user-centric experiences. So, as you embark on your design journey, remember: User-centered design isn’t just a philosophy; it’s a commitment to excellence. Design with the user in mind, and success will follow.

About the Author: Mehul Chauhan is a seasoned Senior UI/UX Designer at Mantra Labs. With a deep understanding of design principles and a keen eye for detail, he brings creativity and innovation to every project he touches. When he’s not busy perfecting digital interfaces, you can find him seeking inspiration in art galleries or exploring the latest design trends across various industries.

Further Reading: Unveiling the Art of Emotional Design

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