The healthcare sector is a major player in driving a country’s economy in terms of health, revenue, and employment. According to a WHO report, demand for health workers increases because of newly emerging and evolving diseases. This can range due to aging people and growth in population. The global economy will produce around 40 million jobs in the healthcare sector by 2030.
It is predicted that the healthcare industry is estimated to grow by $37 billion by 2030.
It really sounds like good news, right?
But it is not. Despite an increase in the percentage of healthcare workers, the world will still have a shortage of 18 million health workers. Reaching the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be challenging.
Besides, a report by Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 predicts that there will be a shortage of around 9.9 million physicians and nurses by 2030.
The demand will be increasing but will not be met, and thus the people who are in need of medical assistance immediately might put their life on the line while waiting for days for an appointment with a specialist physician. That is the reason which gave birth to healthcare chatbots.
How is Chatbot Technology Making a Mark on the Healthcare Industry?
With the increasing shortage of physicians and nurses, the healthcare industry is seeking the help of medical chatbots to act as virtual medical assistants to understand patients’ problems, provide the right solutions, and alleviate the strain on doctors due to the long waiting lines.
As a result, doctors can spend more time on patients who really need their help instead of diagnosing healthy patients who have come to the hospital with misconceptions about their health and general health problems.
Healthcare chatbots were earlier considered to be a fad that would fade away in a few years, but their applications are now widely increased, with every company leveraging its power to address its pain points.
Microsoft secured a top place in the healthcare industry as it provided a service in 2019 that enabled firms to possess the required tools to develop their own health bots. This significantly reduced the burden of administrative tasks through chatbots.
Reports and data on the increasing popularity of chatbots
- By 2025, the chatbot market will reach $1.25 billion with a compound annual growth rate of 24.3% as every company wants to digitize and streamline its operations and processes.
- According to Facebook commissioned a study by Nielsen, 56% of people prefer messaging bots to customer support agents.
- Chatbot technology is gaining popularity in every major sector, including retail, automotive, food, and healthcare, moving towards digitization. The pandemic has further accelerated the growth of chatbot technology in the healthcare sector as people are very concerned about face-to-face interactions for the risk of contagion.
In the healthcare industry,
- Insider Intelligence reckons that around 73% of administrative tasks in the healthcare sector can be automated, and the chatbot implementation will save up to $11 billion annually by 2023 for healthcare firms.
- By adopting chatbots, reports by Juniper Research suggest that the global healthcare sector can save around $3.6 billion by 2022.
- BIS Research published a report, Global Chatbots in Healthcare Market – Analysis and Forecast, 2019-2019, which reveals that the healthcare chatbots in the healthcare industry were able to generate a revenue of around $36.5 million in 2018.
- CrunchBase reports that over $800 million has been spent by 14 firms in building a health chatbot service.
- The Healthcare domain can save around 4 minutes per inquiry.
A market grows only when it has valuable applications and changes people’s lives positively forever. Whenever we have symptoms, we search Google, and finally, we conclude that we have ‘cancer.’ It sounds hilarious, but it is the truth. According to Google, people go to doctors and summarize what disease they have instead of explaining their symptoms and asking the physicians to help them.
The prime reason the sick people opt for Google search is that they are not sure of which specialist to visit, and so they get the help of Mr. Knowall, Google. Implementing chatbots provides a trustworthy path for patients, giving almost accurate diagnostics.
Benefits of Chatbots in Healthcare
Chatbots have emerged as valuable tools in the healthcare sector, offering a myriad of benefits that enhance patient care and streamline operational processes. One key advantage is the immediate and round-the-clock availability of information.
Patients can access medical advice, schedule appointments, and receive medication reminders at any time, reducing the burden on healthcare staff.
Below are the list of benefits of Chatbots in Healthcare:
24/7 Appointment Scheduling:
Chatbots provide immediate access to medical information and assistance, allowing patients to seek advice or schedule appointments at any time.
Medication Reminders:
Automated medication reminders sent by chatbots help patients adhere to their prescribed treatment plans, promoting medication compliance and better health outcomes.
Symptom Assessment:
Chatbots equipped with symptom-checking capabilities provide preliminary assessments, guiding users on whether their symptoms require immediate attention, self-care, or a healthcare professional’s intervention.
Insurance Queries:
Patients can use chatbots to inquire about insurance coverage, claims, and billing information, resolving common concerns without the need for direct interaction with administrative staff.
Emergency Response:
In urgent situations, chatbots can guide users through basic first aid procedures or provide instructions on seeking immediate medical assistance, potentially saving crucial minutes in emergency situations.
Language Accessibility:
Multilingual chatbots cater to diverse patient populations, breaking down language barriers and ensuring that healthcare information is accessible to a broader audience.
Post-Discharge Follow-Up:
After a hospital discharge, chatbots can follow up with patients, monitoring their recovery progress, addressing post-discharge concerns, and providing guidance on follow-up appointments or rehabilitation exercises.
Examples of Healthcare Chatbots
Around 40% of underprivileged people do not show up for colonoscope treatment, and to increase the show-ups, Northwell Health introduced a medical bot to remind the patients and create awareness. Northwell reviews how helpful the chatbot is, “encourage patients by addressing misunderstandings and concerns about the exam, delivering information in a responsive, conversational way over email or text.”
Molly, a virtual nurse bot, assists patients in maintaining treatment plans and records. The everyday data and vital parameters of the patients are also stored, and the physician is notified if there are any health-related risks to the patient.
Have you come across a cancer chatbot on Facebook Messenger? It sends useful tips and measures to look after cancer patients. More than cancer patients, it helps their friends and family by giving them advice on what to say to his/her ill friend and how to cheer the patient.
Organizations should include chatbot services in their insurance plans for employees to prevent reimbursements for unwanted doctor visits. This approach is cost-effective and saves time and effort for the employees.
Use cases of medical chatbots
1. Medical emergencies can’t wait; Address Issues Quickly
When your neighbor, who stays alone, has some severe symptoms and needs primary care, but neither of you knows which doctor to go to, in those cases, you can use a chatbot like Gyant to collect the symptoms and send them to a doctor. Then, you can chat with the doctor in real-time
2. Increased efficiency and Data Storage
The chatbots store the patient’s information, medical condition, and treatment record for future reference and ease the work of the physicians. These records help in quick diagnostics and medicine management. Also, the chatbots help book doctor appointments for patients, saving a lot of time and energy. Chatbots increase the efficiency of healthcare providers by being virtual nurses, assistants in medicine management, and solution providers to the site visitors of the healthcare providers’ firms.
The data stored in the chatbots can be analyzed and used to predict the future trends of patients’ health and mental wellness and the evolution of chatbots in the healthcare industry.
3. Virtual Nurses to Send Reminders
The chatbots remind patients to take the proper medication at the right time. They do not necessarily connect with the patients but also with the care providers in the case of children and the elderly. Aged people should often visit hospitals; even in this scenario, chatbots assist if it is a primary treatment or consultation. A significant breakthrough in this industry is introducing chatbot technology to everyday consultations and maintaining patients’ records that include the doctor’s feedback after every consultation.
4. Employee Onboarding
As the demand for healthcare workers is higher, the firms onboard many candidates for different roles. This is a tiring job for the HR department, and they will not be able to focus on other employee-related strategies. To increase the efficiency of HR, the chatbots can perform the paper works for the new hires and get the work done from them too. It can be a perfect work partner for the HR domain. Leveraging chatbots increases the firm’s image among job seekers in the talent market.
5. Mental Health Bots
According to a report by WHO, over 264 million people suffer from depression globally because they do not have anyone to talk to. The chatbots can help them by listening to their concerns and providing necessary answers or solutions. If the conversation becomes something the chatbots cannot handle, it will be transferred to a human expert, who can refer to the previous conversations to help the patient.
These mental health bots ensure the mental wellness of the users by providing a humanized experience during the conversations. In the 1960s, ELIZA ran DOCTOR, and it was the first chatbot to be used as a mental health resource to talk to users as a psychotherapist.
How Chat360 can be your Healthcare Chatbot Service Provider
Chatbot technology is still in its infancy when it comes to the healthcare sector. It will take a few more years to reap the complete benefits of the technology. Maybe through research and experiments, healthcare chatbots can come into the limelight. A revolutionary move that makes way for new treatment methods and discoveries with the help of AI-powered chatbots.
Chat360 revolutionizes the healthcare industry by offering tailored solutions. Their chatbots enhance business operations by streamlining appointment scheduling, automating prescription refills, and providing real-time patient support.
With the ability to assess symptoms and offer preliminary guidance, these chatbots reduce administrative burdens and enhance patient care efficiency. Furthermore, Chat360’s chatbots facilitate secure communication for telehealth appointments, ensuring a seamless and confidential experience.
By optimizing workflows, improving patient engagement, and enhancing overall operational efficiency, Chat360 empowers businesses in the healthcare industry to deliver a superior and technologically advanced healthcare experience.
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