Today, many industries have employed artificial intelligence in their operation. We see them performing and executing jobs that humans could only do, including taking orders and manufacturing cars. Even the healthcare industry now uses chatbots as a doctor. Nowadays, image recognition algorithms are used to detect disease, helping doctors make a correct diagnosis. Many healthcare providers have slowly adopted chatbots, and we expect to see more growth in this sector. Grand View Research predicts the global chat market to reach $125 billion by 2025. But will chatbots replace my doctor? Read on to learn more.
A Brief History of Chatbots
The first chatbot was developed in 1966, called Eliza. She was designed as a psychotherapist. Through this computer program, patients conducted a real therapy conversation without realizing they weren’t talking to an actual human.
Since then, chatbots, also known as health bots, have started growing. During the pandemic was when there was a significant increase in using them. It was practical for hospitals to use them as they were jammed, their staff reduced, and patients opted to stay home instead of coming to their routine appointment.
A study by Klick Health on U.S physicians found that many doctors think that a health bot helps handle tasks like scheduling appointments, processing payments, providing instructions on medicine, and educating patients about side effects and drug interaction using this technology.
How Does a Chatbot Help?
Despite technological advancements, the doctor-patient relationship hasn’t significantly changed. Previously, when you wanted to talk to a medical practitioner, you’d have to visit the clinic and tell the doctor about your symptoms. Then, they will check your vitals, conduct an examination, diagnose the condition and prescribe the needed medications.
However, there are times when doctors are extremely busy. Yet, sometimes, patients book appointments for illnesses that need a simple solution like rest. Others do not even follow up on the treatments once they’re out of the treatment. Additionally, patients have many questions that don’t always need the doctor’s attention and time. But, these questions can go unanswered as they may leave people feeling clueless and nervous. In these scenarios, chatbots can help.
These health bots can help patients understand and assess the symptoms they are facing. Then they can help them identify which care they need. Patients can get assisted immediately without leaving their homes using chatbots like a doctor.
Also, chatbots can improve the overall patient experience without hospitals needing to employ a customer support team or a physician. A robot can help fasten the triage process as the patient will already have answered some crucial questions before a real person intervenes. Plus, they can help book an appointment with the desired doctor on time based on the doctor’s availability.
Again, they are cost-effective as they can collect data and do low-level tasks. As such, clinicians do not have to employ someone for this job. Lastly, these robots increase patient awareness and motivate them to engage in healthcare.
Can Chatbots Replace My Doctor?
As helpful as chatbots are, they can only supplement and not replace a healthcare provider. If these robots are correctly deployed, they can help run most healthcare services. However, we cannot use AI to substitute human providers, especially among patients with chronic illnesses.
Here are the downsides of using these chatbots:
A reduction in patient engagement. We know we said robots could improve patient engagement. However, they do that in a limited way. It’s difficult to hold a patient accountable using these robots. Research conducted by Klick concluded that using chatbots increased poor adherence since many patients realized later that they weren’t talking to an actual human.
Additionally, these chatbots can miss essential markers that a health professional can only identify. According to the research, AI and health bots can only improve healthcare if used along with human care.
Again, humans are better at chronic care management than chatbots. Many patients want to connect to a team that understands and cares for them. This way, they will actively participate in their treatment, leading to a better outcome. But when patients realize there is no human interaction, they abandon their treatment halfway.
Conclusion: The Future of Chatbots
The bottom line is will chatbots replace my doctor? Although some doctors are comfortable using health bots for automating tasks, they don’t trust them to make complex decisions. These are best left to be reviewed by an expert medical practitioner. However, chatbots are helpful, and as long as they are used alongside human care, they can improve patient engagement and success in treating chronic diseases.
