Voice technology is being integrated into many industries, from ordering food to doing research online. Healthcare facilities are searching for solutions to improve patient care through voice activation technology. The demand for voice devices has risen due to the need for medical professionals to increase direct patient care. Physicians spend about half of their workday on administrative tasks. The following will describe the ways Healthcare can be improved with voice devices.

Improves Patient Care

Many patients are unable to attend their doctors’ appointments because they are too weak or not ambulatory. Unfortunately, many patients may not have someone to assist them to their appointments. This is where voice devices come into play.

Physicians can remotely monitor patients at their homes using nursing applications. Nursing apps perform similar duties of an actual nurse, for example, asking patients how they are feeling, taking vital signs, and recording clinical data. Nursing applications use voice recognition to communicate with patients.

The app can be programmed to speak and understand several different languages and dialects.  As the nursing app analyzes the patients, information is relegated to the physician. Based on the information received, doctors determine whether a patient needs to receive further medical help. Since voice technology is so simple to use, it can alleviate the pressure of sick patients struggling to attend follow up appointments.

Can Act As Personal Assistants

Often physicians feel burdened with paperwork after a long day of providing patient care. Physicians spend about half of their time tending to paperwork but utilizing voice devices as personal assistants can decrease the workload. Instead of a doctor writing down their clinical notes or employing a medical scribe, the physician can dictate their notes and their voice memos will be transcribed to text.

On average, physicians sign into their computer about 150 times a day. Physicians need to constantly log into their computers to learn information about their patients.  With personal assistants, all the physician must do is verbally ask the device a question, and the answer is spoken.

This is a helpful tool to physicians because it saves so much vital time. They don’t have to waste time researching for clinical data. This information is provided by the assistant within seconds.

Not only can voice devices act as personal assistants to medical professionals but also to patients. Often, patients must rely on a caregiver to assist them as they recover in their hospital beds. With a lack of hands to help, patients’ health may suffer. Voice assistants can provide patients with some sort of independence. The lighting of the room can be adjusted when the voice device is commanded by the patient. Similarly, the room temperature can be changed and the nurse on duty can be alerted.

Increases Patient Engagement

Patients are usually comfortable talking to voice devices about their health problems. They don’t feel overwhelmed using these tools because the spoken word comes natural for humans. This is especially helpful for patients of an older age. Elderly patients tend not be as tech savvy, so voice interfaces are much easier for older patients to navigate. Voice devices can educate users about health conditions. Patients will lead healthier lifestyles when they are being educated on health issues. Learning about harmful habits can prevent health conditions from worsening.

One of the most important aspects of how voice technology increases patient engagement is that it allows users to multitask.  While patients are working on different tasks, it can be asked for information. Voice devices can store information about the closest hospitals and wait times. The wait times can be constantly updated for users. Emergency rooms may see a decrease in patient wait times as patients become more informed about preventive care.

When deciding on technology to implement into your healthcare practice, consider voice devices. Voice devices increase efficiency, decrease medical professional’s workload, and improves healthcare outcomes.