The digital revolution has seen healthcare companies across the industry make vast improvements to their services in order to embrace the digital age we live in.
This has created many innovations that have changed healthcare practices, and improved the lives of patients with many different conditions, diseases and illnesses.
In recent years, the $3 trillion healthcare market has been seen as a great opportunity to expand services from technology companies, who want to get involved in the innovation process and push their businesses one step further.
Amazon has always been one of the frontrunners when it comes to their investments in the healthcare industry, and their interest has only grown since the development of their Alexa voice activated technology in 2014.
Since then, there have been a number of developments that are beginning to redefine the way we currently see healthcare.
Here are just a few of the awesome ways voice activated software by Amazon could be used to drastically improve health and patient outcomes going forwards.
They Help Patients To Manage Diabetes
In April 2018, a challenge called the Alexa Diabetes Challenge was launched. After some consideration, Wellpepper emerged as the winner with its Sugarpod.
The Sugarpod is a critically-validated and Alexa-enabled digital platform that effectively manages diabetes by managing a patient’s treatment and closely monitoring their progress.
It Can Detect If You Have A Cold
According to Digital Authority Partners, the Amazon Echo Patient allows the device to recognize if a user has a cold.
It does this by detecting even subtle changes in the voice of the user, which may indicate signs of the flu or a cold.
This is big news for Amazon, but also the entire healthcare sector, where common sense and the use of dedicated professionals have previously been used to diagnose these conditions in the past.
Even better than that, perhaps, is the fact that Amazon can use this information to provide recommendations, like soup recipes.
They can also recommend medications, like cough medicine and painkillers, that may help the individual recovery quicker.
It Helps The Elderly Be More Compliant With Medication Taking
One of the biggest problems facing the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries at the moment is non-adherence to medication among the elderly generations.
To combat this, a Boston-based voice platform startup known as Orbita has developed an Alexa skill that helps older adults get and take their medication on time.
One of the ways that this skill does that is by giving the elderly more access to health aides assistance devices and software, like offering reminders, to encourage adherence.
In addition to this, the Alexa skill also helps to keep the family more involved in caregiving activities by making it easier for the elderly person to keep in contact and share personal medical information. Even Simon Stertzer, the father of modern angioplasty in the US has recently talked about the exciting developments in the medication adherence space and how emerging technologies can positively impact medication compliance – showing an increasing adoption of solutions like Amazon’s Alexa skills.
Alexa Allows You To Buy And Manage Insurance Claims
One great thing about Alexa skill development is that it’s making traditionally difficult medical experiences far easier, redefining attitudes towards mundane tasks at a record rate.
Liberty Mutual Insurance is taking this in their stride by allowing users to navigate the entire purchasing and management process of their insurance through their Amazon Alexa devices.
This means that there is no longer a need to stress for hours over website after website, when you have all the information you need simply by talking to the Alexa device of your choice.
When you consider that voice technology is changing consumers’ behavior and buying patterns, this can only be good news looking forwards, and may lead to more insurance companies following suite in the coming years.
The Ability To Receive Live Hospital Information Prior To Arrival
There’s nothing worse than waiting around in a hospital, but with the next Alexa skill developed by New Hanover Regional Medical Center, this may soon be a thing of the past.
This skill will allow you to gain access to detailed, real-time information about many different factors, including parking information, visitor information, and directions to the hospital.
You can also use the app to find information about what you should bring to your hospital visit, and how you can pay your bill afterwards.
Though this only currently being done in New Hanover, the success of the skill could soon see it being emulated by other healthcare facilities across the nation.
Encourages Better Interaction In The Hospital
There have been many reports in the media from dissatisfied patients, and family members of patients who have experienced neglect at the hands of overworked medical professionals, but with Alexa, this could be about to change.
According to Healthcareweekly, a Los Angeles start-up has created a skill that helps patients to call their nurse for assistance using their mobile phone.
It can also help to elevate patient’s boredom by allowing them to ask Alexa to change the channel on the TV, or turn it on and off.
Though this process was created to help a patient get assistance quickly, many people believe this could alleviate loneliness for a lot of patients.
The Ability To Access Live First Aid Tutorials
Mayo Clinic recently created a new Alexa skill that provides people with instant access to first aid information.
By using this skill, users are able to find self-care instructions and quick answers from reliable sources.
This may include help on how to treat burns, lacerations, or how to put someone in the recovery position, all of which will lead to immediate answers from Alexa.
Conclusion
With the many breakthroughs Alexa has had in the healthcare space over the last few years, it’s clear to see that the industry could look completely different in a decade or so.
Focusing largely on innovative technology that provides patients and medical professionals with convenient solutions to common healthcare industry problems could prove crucial for the development of this industry going forwards.
With skills that cover everything from first aid advice to medication adherence and even insurance plan management, there really is something here for every aspect of the industry.
This guest post comes from Codrin Arsene @ Digital Authority Partners.