AI Chatbots in Healthcare: Enhancing Patient Experience and Efficiency

Chatbots for the healthcare sector are high in demand due to their ability to easily understand user input and respond to complex human queries. Additionally in the healthcare industry, these intelligent bots are used for multiple tasks including answering basic medical questions, scheduling appointments and providing treatment options.

According to Precedence Research, the global healthcare chatbot market size was projected at $230.28 million in 2023 and is expected to grow at a 16.98% CAGR from 2023 to 2032. In this article we will explore various types of healthcare chatbots, the challenges faced by the healthcare industry and how these AI bots are addressing those issues.

Types Of Chatbots In Healthcare –

1. Prescriptive Chatbots

Prescriptive chatbots are conversational by design and used to provide therapeutic solutions to a patient by understanding their needs and symptoms.

2. Administrative Chatbots

Administrative chatbots can schedule appointments, handle prescription renewals, send reminders for medication and manage billing queries. These types of bots can reduce administrative burden and boost patient satisfaction.

A clinical trial showed a 40% increase in appointment adherence rates when patients were reminded by AI bots.

3. Diagnostic Chatbots

Diagnostic chatbots use AI algorithms to analyse and understand symptoms shared by users and provide possible diagnoses. Moreover, they ask patients a series of questions to analyse their symptoms and offer advice on whether they need to consult with a doctor.

4. FAQ chatbots

Chatbots have an uptime of 99.9%. The primary goal of the FAQ chatbot is to provide answers to frequently asked questions. So healthcare organisations can leverage such bots dedicated to answering patient’s most commonly asked questions about diseases, health guidelines and medications. In short, FAQ chatbots are highly beneficial as they can automate the process of answering basic queries and reduce the burden on customer service representatives. According to a study, AI chatbots will handle approximately 90% of healthcare inquiries by 2024.

What Are the Pain Points Healthcare Industry Faces?

Below I am mentioning some of the common pain points in healthcare that can be solved with AI chatbots:

– Scheduling and Appointment Management

AI chatbots streamline the process of scheduling and appointment management. Patients can easily interact with the healthcare chatbot to find the most suitable and preferred appointment times. This reduces the administrative burden on medical staff.

– Mental Health Support

Healthcare chatbots can offer mental health support by providing necessary resources, offering mental health exercises and conducting mood assessments. These bots engage patients in therapeutic conversations and help them cope with depression, anxiety and stress.

– Insurance Queries Management

Chatbots for healthcare assist patients with insurance queries and procedures. Furthermore they provide coverage information, guide patients through the claim-filing process and provide real-time updates on claim status.

Research shows that implementing AI in insurance, especially in underwriting, offers many benefits, including:

• 25% improvement in case acceptance.
• 83% accuracy in market potential prediction.
• Reducing throughput time in underwriting by 10-fold.

– Symptom Assessment

AI chatbots in the healthcare sector play a crucial role in symptom assessment and triage. These chatbots ask patients about their symptoms, analyse them and suggest whether professional help is needed or home treatment is sufficient.

– Patient Data Collection

Chatbots simplify the process of patient data collection by simply gathering essential information like current symptoms and medical history. AI chatbots use this data to provide personalised patient care.

– Medication Management

Chatbots for healthcare help patients manage their medication by sending reminders. This ensures they take their medicine on time. It is especially important for chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes.

– 24/7 Accessible

Chatbots act as a 24/7 virtual assistant for patients who want to learn about different health conditions, preventive healthcare and treatment options. AI chatbots make complex medical information easily accessible and understandable.

– Health Monitoring and Follow-up Care

AI-powered chatbots engage patients in regular communication to monitor their recovery progress even after surgeries. It helps in follow-up care and early identification of potential complications.

Closing Thoughts

Now that you understand how beneficial chatbots are in the healthcare industry, you must also know how to design powerful AI chatbots for healthcare organisations. With SmatBot, you can easily create a fully-fledged chatbot for your medical service without any technical knowledge. Moreover you can easily deploy your healthcare chatbot across various platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, website and other websites. In addition, SmatBot empowers you to customise your healthcare chatbot to fit your needs and preferences.