Last year, the healthcare industry relied heavily on technology to work around the limitations set by COVID-19 and fulfill the new needs of patients and physicians alike, with the biggest increase in the use of telehealth happening in April 2020 as reported by the CDC. The goal of both telehealth and telemedicine is to deliver long-distance healthcare services and education through digital communication technologies, and their increasing adoption is further proven by a 2020 U.S. survey in which 50% of respondents claimed they have benefited from telemedicine and 83% stated that they are likely to continue opting for virtual care even after the pandemic ends.
Since telemedicine is here to stay, it is critical that healthcare providers find better ways to bring telemedicine services to people. A chatbot can provide an optimized telemedicine platform that can accommodate the growing demand for remote healthcare solutions. Here’s how:
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Easy Access
With a telemedicine chatbot, anyone can get in touch with a doctor on the app they use the most; which is a messaging app. Facebook Messenger users are currently at 1.3 billion and are expected to reach up to 2.4 billion this year. Not only that, but Facebook Messenger has been found to be people’s preferred channel for connecting with brands with over 20 billion messages exchanged between people and businesses each month; making a telemedicine chatbot on Messenger effective in reaching and serving more people.
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24/7 Instant Service
Hospitals and clinics may close but a chatbot works around the clock and replies instantly at all times. Natural language processing enables a chatbot to distinguish keywords and phrases and respond with the information that these represent in its knowledge base. So when a person makes an inquiry, the chatbot will understand and display the services available. People can make use of the chatbot’s features at any time of the day, like scheduling a virtual appointment with a doctor. The chatbot will simply ask questions to collect patient information and then inform the user once their appointment has been confirmed. This way, the chatbot can process requests even without a doctor online and automate routine administrative tasks.
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Seamless Teleconsultation
A chatbot can assist both patient and physician by providing a conversational interface where they can seamlessly connect with one another. Similar to live chat support, users needing clinical care can talk to a doctor in real time at the click of a button, and receive various types of medical care services from routine and preventive checkups to therapy and counseling. Users can also get online prescriptions so starting treatment can be easier and more convenient. At the same time, doctors can use the chatbot to initiate a consultation for patient monitoring. With a chatbot, providing care and getting help won’t take an extra step.
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Patient Reminders & Notifications
Upon onboarding, the chatbot can ask users a series of questions to get their personal information and medical history in order to build their patient profile. Details such as present illnesses and current treatments can enable the chatbot to send helpful and personalized alerts that aid in chronic disease management and medication management. Aside from a pill reminder and medication tracker function, the chatbot can also send appointment status updates and notify patients of important announcements.
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Doctors’ Directory
Using a carousel menu, your chatbot can display a comprehensive catalog of available doctors so people can easily find the services they are looking for. Users can simply browse through the doctors’ directory menu, select the medical specialist they need, and view information such as specialization, subspecialty, contact details, and schedule. Users then have an option to call, book an online appointment, or directly chat with the doctor if they are free. By providing users practical means to get in touch with a physician, the chatbot can greatly improve the patient experience.
Needless to say, a telemedicine chatbot can revolutionize healthcare today and tomorrow. And you can start as early as now. Launch your chatbot with Alfafusion today!
Designing experience since 1998, Alfafusion is a pioneer enterprise chatbot solutions provider in the Philippines.
Call +632-98-999-1576 or send an email to digital@alfafusion.com to book a bot demo.