AI in healthcare to assist and support patients rehabilitation

AI in healthcare – According to Accenture, beyond 40% of healthcare executives, consider AI as the technology that will have the main impact in healthcare field in the upcoming three years.

Technologies such as machine learning and predictive analysis are already in use in sanitary organizations, while chatbots are also coming.

Despite still at the beginning, chatbots are already improving medical assistance to patients and also bring significant savings and results in healthcare organizations.

For example, chatbots are employed in triage procedures and guide patients towards the right assistance, even representing a valid and solid alternative to the “self-research” on the Internet about health conditions.

Many people just cannot identify when a visit is necessary or when a telematic contact may be enough, while chatbots are able to address patients on the basis of the sympthoms they report.

Healthcare chatbots collect information about people’s health conditions and suggest related actions. In this way, they even support sanitary operators and reduce access and contact requests to hospitals and medical centers.

On the other hand, doctors can access patients’ data through digital interfaces and determine who has to be visited urgently and who is to be dedicated a brief consult.

This has been particularly relevant during last months of pandemic sanitary emergency, that has overloaded sanitary organizations’ structures as never seen before.

Beside sanitary emergency scenarios, chatbots can help save time and money spent to go to a medical appointment, save costs of unnecessary treatments and access to information with a click, avoiding waiting times at phone.

Patients can schedule their appointment in less than one minute, select a doctor from the list, find a slot in the calendar, insert their information and even receive follow up and reminders of their appointment.

Experts say that healthcare global saving thanks to chatbots will reach 3,6 billions dollars by 2022, but chatbots are not meant to replace doctors or medical assistance. They are aimed, instead, to improve sanitary organizations’ efficiency in communication and assistance.

AI in healthcare: Re-hub-ility project

AI in healthcare – Artificial intelligence and chatbots represent a valid support even in rehabilitation medicine and physiotherapic programs, with the intent to fight physical and cognitive decay and support patients in domiciliary rehabilitation post hospitalization.

We at crafter.ai, are directly involved in Re-hub-ility research project: financed by Regione Lombardia for 3,8 millions euros funded by “Programma Operativo Regionale (POR) Fondo Europeo di Sviluppo Regionale (FESR) 2014-2020”, guided from ICS Maugeri Spa Società Benefit, with the cooperation of Università di Pavia, Università Cattolica, Università di Napoli Federico II and a pool of innovative companies such as Athics and its platform crafter.ai.

The project puts together internet of things and artificial intelligence for the development of a platform for patients’ rehabilitation at home that aims to reduce sanitary system’s charges and rehabilitation’s costs for patients.

Wearable technologies, exergames and artificial intelligence work together inside Re-hub-ility’s re-habilitation program based on specific exergames with the support of wearable sensors and chatbots.

Chatbots created with crafter.ai will be Re-hub-ility virtual assistance‘s interface, providing the knowledge base through which patients’ frequent questions will be answered and acting like a virtual coach, that actively engage patients during exercises.

Also, the cooperation with Università Cattolica psychology department, help artificial intelligence to identify individual profiles and behaviours’ models to be used to create automatic interaction models, customized for each single user’s profile.

After hospitalization, people often want to continue their rehabilitation programs but are prevented by costs or territorial inaccessibility of the service. Also, when people do rehabilitation exercises on their own at home, they often do not follow the therapy correctly.

Therefore, Re-hub-ility benefits both: patients that need re-habilitation programs and national sanitary system that has to face the current demographic trend that sees elderly people increase.

Source:

https://topflightapps.com/ideas/chatbots-in-healthcare/

https://codete.com/blog/chatbots-in-healthcare/