The Adoption Of AI Chatbots In Healthcare & 7 Reasons For Their Success

Healthcare technology is on the rise. The latest pandemic has all but ensured a swift integration of healthcare with technology, moreover healthcare use cases have perfectly coupled with different conversational technologies. As a result, more care providers are evaluating their mode of business and thinking up ways to adapt to the times. Pre-COVID, it was a doctor-centered approach to healthcare, but now, it has shifted towards a more patient-centered approach. With so many things changing around patient expectations and new technological marvels, more and more healthcare organizations are now looking for new ways to create a better and more updated digital patient experience. Implementing a healthcare chatbot is one of the latest and most innovative ways to deliver a fully engaged patient-centered healthcare experience.

Some providers are a bit slow to adapt to the cutting edge tech and procedures, but thankfully there are some truly amazing plug & play conversational solutions to support them along the way. However, those investing in it are already seeing encouraging results in increased efficiency, patient satisfaction and better care.

7 Reasons For The Success Of AI Chatbots In Healthcare

AI chatbots are a highly customizable technology. It is an algorithm based solution that will likely become a key part of the healthcare system in the near future. AI chatbots help reduce the overall workload and drive better patient/care provider interaction. In addition, it is an incredible money-saving tool that also opens up better investment opportunities for care institutions.

These are the seven reasons why AI chatbots have seen and will continue to see such success in the healthcare industry;

1. No More Waiting on Hold

AI chatbots eliminate wait times. Patients no longer have to keep waiting for an email response. They do not have to keep themselves glued to the phone, waiting to be taken off hold. Chatbots make it possible for patients to receive immediate and direct customer service.

Chatbots help answer a majority of the customer queries satisfactorily. They provide pertinent information and further instructions. Patients can easily proceed directly to receiving relevant care following their directions.

2. Quick Symptom Assessment

Some of the more intuitive chatbots have the function to check a patient’s symptoms. This incredible function acts more or less like a diagnostician. It asks simple questions from the patient, like ‘where does it hurt?’ An AI diagnostic chatbot is like a doctor in your palm. It can easily assess your symptoms and give a preliminary assessment of your condition. This function can get you quick answers about your condition.

3. Treatment Recommendations

A chatbot can recommend appropriate treatment after assessing a patient’s symptoms. For example, it can determine if you simply need some over-the-counter medication and bedrest to get better. If there is a larger issue at hand that requires immediate in-person medical attention, then your chatbot can help identify it too.

The AI feature is self-learning and self-improving. It gradually learns more about the patient and continues to get better at providing relevant healthcare services.

4. Setting up an Appointment

A single missed patient appointment can cost the healthcare provider hundreds of dollars. A chatbot ensures that the patient will not miss their appointment with periodic reminders. Hospital staff no longer have to pull staff away from more critical work to handle the mess that is appointments and scheduling. Chatbots simplify scheduling and make it easy for doctors to ignore trivial things and focus on providing actual healthcare.

5. 24/7 Patient Access

Patients are not restricted to traditional office hours, so they can get the data they desire any time of day or night. For example, chatbots can easily handle the panic attacks of a pregnant couple over every little thing. They do not have to wake a grumpy doctor in the middle of the night to ask a question, like ‘My baby just kicked in my tummy. What do I do?’

Even better, chatbots can handle thousands of interactions at once. So no huge workforce is needed to handle all the requests.

6. Easy Billing

Consumers trust online billing and payment because it is convenient, simple, and makes the consumer feel secure. A chatbot delivers this efficient solution to the hectic payment system in healthcare. It helps patients understand their billing statements, answer any queries, resolve any disputes, and process the payments.

7. Improved Adherence to Medical Instructions

Chatbots offer a checklist or a reminder service when you are due for a checkup, appointment, or taking prescribed medicine. Patients often do not follow their treatment plans. They forget to take their medicine at the designated time or become careless. Chatbots can deploy custom notifications and instructions to the patient.

Future of AI Chatbots in Healthcare

More detailed, full-featured chatbots will be more widely available in the future. The innovative ones will have many features, such as integration with third-party applications. Chatbots can help users get medical advice, schedule appointments, and directly consult a doctor via video calls.

It is clear that the healthcare industry has a lot of potential for AI and other technological solutions. The cloud is being adopted at a higher rate, and more healthcare providers are looking for ways to organize their processes and decrease wait times.

Chatbots are designed for improving the job of healthcare professionals, not replacing them. This is why it’s possible to dramatically eliminate costs, boost efficiency, reduce pressure on healthcare professionals, and enhance patient results with chatbots.