Alexa, I think I have COVID-19
As many are still placed on stay at home orders, we find ourselves looking for more remote care options. Last month, Amazon announced that it has added features to its voice assistant, Alexa, that can be used to help determine a user’s risk level for COVID-19.
Users in the United States can now ask Alexa questions like: “Alexa what do I do if I think I have coronavirus?” or “Alexa, what do I do if I think I have COVID-19?”. ‘She’ will then start the triage process by asking the user about any symptoms they have, what their travel history looks like, and if they have any possible exposure to an infected person. Then, based on the user’s responses, Alexa will give the user guidance on what to do and when to seek medical care, all based on what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends.
Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, who is a physician and medical director for Mayo’s Health Education and Content Services, explained, “With a rapidly developing pandemic like COVID-19, delivering trusted health information on how to respond to our patients and the public is critical. For Mayo Clinic, voice technologies allow us to deliver information and care when, where and how people wish to access it.”
“Accurate, easily accessible information is key to fighting this pandemic, and voice technologies are another avenue to get information to the public,” she added.
Additional features that can aid users during the pandemic are:
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Hand Washing: Users can ask Alexa to sing a song for 20 seconds while you wash your hands (which is the recommended time to avoid the virus)
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Productivity: Users can link their calendars and get reminders, set notes, and join a meeting
Amazon isn’t the only one adding COVID-19 information to their voice assistant; Apple also recently pushed an update where users can ask Siri ‘if they have coronavirus’ and they too will receive advice or recommendations based on what the CDC has outlined.
These voice assistants, like Alexa and Siri, are helping healthcare organizations shift quickly to be able to offer more telehealth options in hopes of reducing the stress or overloading of the hospitals. These remote visit options also help minimize physical contact with people who may be infected and transmit the virus to others.
Here at Extract, it is our mission to improve patient care and reduce the cost of healthcare by delivering data to the EMR so that physicians and staff can quickly diagnose and treat their patients. We know that it’s a difficult time to be discussing new software investments and understand that many healthcare organizations are going to need to delay discussions until new coronavirus cases are on the downswing. Please reach out or schedule a time when you are ready.
Sources:
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/mayo-clinic-adds-covid-19-skills-amazon-alexa
