Digital innovation to bring back empathy in healthcare

In a global healthcare crisis, when every minute counts, digital health solutions are potential efficiency boosters, time savers and even empathy builders.

Unfortunately, when digital solutions are not well used these can lead to more time loss and increased administrative burden. Also, consumer apps and diagnostics in the health-entertainment category can overwhelm healthcare professionals with irrelevant info.

Another point of attention is that digital solutions risk to take out the human touch and personal aspect of healthcare when not well used.

Having mentioned these caveats 2021 will finally be the year of wide adoption of digital health solutions by both patients and healthcare professionals. When well used, these solutions can bring time-savings by automating repetitive tasks (e.g. administration) by preparing lengthy medical history taking, and reducing waiting times thanks to smart triage.

Digital technology has the potential to deliver more personal and more personalized health experiences.

With good data patients are better screened, better prepared, send to the right level of care. Patients can have the choice between physical meeting, tele-medicine, remote follow-up with home diagnostics etc. Digital tools can empower patients by adding health literacy enhancing techniques and giving time to think. Doctors can increase the chance of seeing patients matching with their domain of expertise by minimizing wrong referrals, overconsumption of time-consuming unnecessary visits etc. So also, physicians and hospitals can have a more personalized/tailored experience.

I believe most important prediction is that digital health solutions will bring back empathy in healthcare. When we can save time, when we can avoid energy eating tasks with little added value and when we can personalize the experience this will all together leas to time and willingness to have a qualitative and empathy filled conversation between patients and doctors. When this meeting between patient and doctor (in real life or virtual) is qualitative it will result in better health outcomes.

Bingli is an AI-powered chatbot that prepares patients for the doctor’s visit by asking most of the the doctor’s questions in advance. The patient is interviewed in their own native language, removing the health literacy barrier, and giving them time to think and be better prepared for their consultation. The questions during the interview are tailored to each specific patient thanks to Bingli‘s proprietary and self-learning AI powered differential diagnostic algorithms. The combined medical information and proposed diagnoses are provided in a dashboard, to assist the doctor during the consultation. All data generated can be used to streamline care and add value by (1) lightening administrative burden, (2) avoiding unnecessary consultations/referrals, (3) optimising hospital flows.