How Are Chatbots Helping The Healthcare Industry Fight The COVID-19 Crisis

1. Limiting doctor visits with pre-screening and self-treatment

In a study published in JAMIA, researchers from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business conducted an online experiment with participants who viewed a COVID-19 screening session between a hotline agent – either human or chatbot – and a user with COVID-19 symptoms.

The research concluded, “The primary factor driving user response is perception of the agent’s ability. When ability is the same, users view chatbots no differently or more positively than human agents.”

Every hospital and quarantine facility in the world is functioning off limited resources, including insufficient beds, ventilators, protective suits, masks, etc. To reduce the burden on the healthcare staff, the need of the hour is self-diagnosis and treatment using chatbots.

And how is this done? In case a person is experiencing flu-like symptoms such as a headache or mild fever, he may consult the chatbot for at-home pre-screening. The virtual assistant asks questions such as – age, initial symptoms, travel history, existing ailments, etc. – to map answers with the possible symptoms of COVID-19.

In case the symptoms don’t match with the warning signs of the disease, the chatbot advises the user on the next set of steps to be taken, which may be simple preventive measures. If the patient needs further observation, the chatbot can recommend a visit to the doctor.

Additionally by staying at home, chatbot users can prevent the spread of their disease. And also may protect themselves from catching another infection by visiting the hospital.

2. Scheduling Virtual And Physical Appointments

Chatbots can offer services such as locating nearby healthcare facilities, scheduling virtual and physical appointments, and encouraging users to participate in clinical trials.

As seen above, depending on the severity of the symptoms, a chatbot may recognize the need for a doctor’s appointment. In case of mild symptoms, the chatbot may connect the user virtually to an available medical professional.

However, if the symptoms necessitate a physical consultation, or if the patient requests for one, the chatbot can quickly draw up information from a database of hospitals and book the next available slot for the appointment.

3. Providing the right information

The need to deliver the right information and fight the spread of fake news has never been more critical. To reduce the panic around the pandemic, it is imperative that people have access to the most authentic information.

Chatbots can be designed to answer frequently asked queries around the pandemic and be constantly updated with the latest information from authentic healthcare sources. Moreover healthcare chatbots can provide users with diverse and personalized sources related to mental health, monitoring health and wellness, and self care.

So, the next time someone wants answers to “Can the coronavirus spread through air?”, “What are the common symptoms of COVID-19?”, “How to boost my immune system?”, they should look no further than a simple chatbot that is designed to disseminate the facts on all such queries.

This not only reduces panic among patients but also reduces the burden on healthcare staff and drives patient engagement.

Hospital systems can also deploy chatbots to provide general information about their operations and services e.g medical tests timings, working hours of doctors, availability of medical equipment etc.