Conversational Public Services: AI And Global Healthcare

As Chief Business Officer, Ivan Ostojić is responsible for strengthening Infobip’s critical future and market-shaping functions.

The global healthcare sector faces significant challenges and opportunities. In its 2024 Global Healthcare Outlook report, Deloitte describes how the industry’s transformation is being driven by technology, demographic changes and evolving patient needs. This is all happening against the lingering effects of the pandemic, rising costs and labor shortages.

Across healthcare, technology and data are increasingly seen as key drivers of change. Specifically, the Deloitte report focuses on AI’s “potential to personalize patient interactions, streamline administrative and care processes, and free up clinicians to focus on complex procedures.”

I believe that alongside AI, conversational technology has the potential to reshape care delivery, facilitating the integration of different aspects of healthcare and addressing social determinants of health.

The Benefits Of A Conversational Approach

Conversational experiences refer to two-way digital interactions between businesses and customers that feel as seamless and intuitive as talking to another person. This trend is continuing to gather speed, supported by developments in generative AI and cloud computing.

Emerging markets are seeing some of the most innovative approaches, and there are a growing number of use cases for healthcare professionals interested in including conversational experiences in an omnichannel strategy.

Transforming Patient Interactions

By facilitating one-to-one personal interactions between providers and patients through platforms like chat apps, patients can get a richer, more convenient and more personal experience.

For instance, toward the beginning of the pandemic, the Indian government created the MyGov Corona Helpdesk, a WhatsApp chatbot to answer questions about Covid-19. This included information on symptoms, transmission, preventive measures, official government helplines and more. In the 48 hours following its launch, the Helpdesk managed over five million conversations with users nationwide.

In Croatia, Podravka Group’s SuperfoodChef AI, embedded in their popular culinary platform Coolinarika, aims to address Croatia’s dietary challenges and rising obesity rates. The AI-driven assistant, co-developed with my company, helps users make healthier choices by suggesting nutritionally balanced recipes and educating them about superfoods.

In Brazil, Atrys is another example of another client my company works with that has embraced an omnichannel approach. Its Remote Primary Health Care project (APS Remoto) was voted as one of Brazil’s most innovative in 2022 by IT Mídia and involves biopsychosocial health mapping, patient stratification by risk level, qualified feedback and personalized health guidance. Like India’s chatbot, the company communicates with patients via WhatsApp, the most popular social media platform in the country (93.4% of those online in the nation use it).

As can be seen, by integrating messaging with AI, healthcare providers can offer intuitive two-way interactions between patients and providers via the messaging apps and online platforms that they already use. When a channel such as WhatsApp has over two billion users globally, it’s a no-brainer to make these central to patient interactions. The same can be said for channels such as SMS, Apple Messenger and more.

Streamlining Processes

Better user data and segmentation can also offer a more personal and streamlined service.

By integrating cloud computing technology and conversational messaging platforms, providers can allow patients to book appointments, access medical records and receive advice remotely across multiple channels. Unifying data from these interactions can help build a more comprehensive view of a patient’s history.

According to Professor Bobby Prasad, consultant gastroenterologist and endoscopist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare, a key area where AI can improve healthcare provision relates to “gathering a much more detailed patient history before a consultation with a specialist.” According to him, patients historically spend a considerable amount of time recounting their medical history and symptoms to their consultant, but this process can now be automated and streamlined, enabling clinicians to be better prepared for consultations.

In short, organizations can use AI tools to help automate aspects of their customer communication while preserving and even augmenting the personal touch. For example, healthcare providers can deploy generative AI to create tailored messages and develop new content that meets individual patient needs. Lastly, AI can also aid in refining data segmentation, allowing operators and healthcare providers to construct a more precise understanding of their users.

Freeing Up Clinicians And Managing Resources

Under-resourcing and burnout are common issues within healthcare, particularly publicly-funded organizations like the NHS. Freeing clinicians to focus on complex procedures is another critical advantage of integrating AI and conversational platforms. This is supported by AI’s role in forecasting patient volumes and resource needs.

A survey by MIT Technology Review Insights found that more than 82% of healthcare business leaders had used AI to create operational and administrative “workflow improvements … giving clinicians time back to work with their patients more closely, and with more insight.”

I think a great example of this is Augmedix, a tool created to record interactions between doctors and emergency room patients using Bluetooth. This technology aims to replace a task once managed by emergency room physicians and reduce the administrative burden.

Today, organizations of any size can lower costs and automate support using easy-to-build chatbots on any channel. However, despite AI’s impressive capabilities in data collection, processing and analysis, it is not without flaws. AI systems can sometimes misinterpret data or “hallucinate,” so they still require human intervention to make immediate decisions, provide solutions and, of course, offer empathy to patients in need.

My company often likes to highlight the distinction between IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient). While AI excels in tasks requiring high IQ, such as data analysis and pattern recognition, humans provide a balanced combination of IQ and EQ, excelling in emotional and interpersonal understanding. As such, human involvement remains essential at every stage of the process, particularly in areas of refinement and quality control.

Transformative Forces

These innovations within AI are improving patient experiences and service accessibility. They are also paving the way for a more connected and efficient global healthcare system.

By embracing these technologies, I am certain that public bodies can enhance their interaction with their communities, ensuring that the benefits of conversational communication are harnessed for the greater good.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?