The field of healthcare is rapidly evolving, and artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a significant role in transforming how care is delivered to patients. The increasing use of AI in healthcare reflects technological progress and a deeper commitment to improving patient outcomes.

With the conversational AI market expected to exceed US$61.9 billion by 2032, it is clear that this technology is becoming an integral part of the healthcare ecosystem.

 

Bridging the Human-AI Divide

Despite its proven usefulness, some medical professionals are reluctant to adopt AI technologies thanks to a few common misconceptions, such as the belief that AI will replace healthcare professionals. However, the capabilities of AI are still limited, which is why the initial skepticism, fueled by fears of depersonalization or even job displacement, has largely dissipated.

Many healthcare professionals now recognize AI’s value—not as a replacement but as a partner in care. Instead of being a threat, conversational AI collaborates with human healthcare providers to enhance patient engagement, save time and money, and deliver more effective healthcare services.

Increasing Patient Engagement

Integrating AI technologies, such as natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML), into healthcare has enabled more sophisticated interactions between patients and virtual healthcare assistants. These AI-driven tools can now accurately understand intent, context, and sentiment, ensuring patients receive timely and relevant information and support.

AI facilitates a new level of engagement by personalizing communication, monitoring progress, and supporting patients in managing their health, ultimately leading to better outcomes.

According to TeleVox and Kelton Research, 83% of Americans do not adhere to their prescribed treatment plans, and 42% believe they would follow their treatment plan more closely if they received encouragement between appointments.

Patients who actively engage with their healthcare providers have better results. They have a higher standard of living, keep their appointments, and make wiser health-related decisions.

AI technologies can be a valuable tool to help bridge this gap. Some of their most common use cases include:

• Health education
• Symptom assessment
• Test result updates
• Provider placement
• Appointment scheduling
• Appointment reminders
• Medication reminders
• Tracking health goals
• Customer support

Patients with a seamless and rewarding experience are more likely to remain engaged. More engagement means saving time and money and more effective healthcare services.

Saving Time and Money

According to projections, AI could save the U.S. healthcare system an astonishing $150 billion annually in 2026, with conversational AI applications alone accounting for approximately $20 billion of these savings annually.

Savings for Patients

In non-emergency cases, people can now interact with a healthcare chatbot online instead of visiting a doctor’s clinic or hospital. The chatbot can help them understand their symptoms and take appropriate action. This is a better alternative to calling customer support for basic information as patients can save time waiting in long queues to talk to someone. Chatbots are available all the time, making them accessible anytime, anywhere.

Savings for Healthcare Providers

Hospitals and clinics can save money by transitioning their call center resources to conversational AI. Chatbot interactions cost significantly less than traditional customer support services. Conversational AI provides an always-available, instant, and more consistent user experience.

Conversational AI can also help healthcare professionals reduce operational costs and save time on administrative tasks. With the same chatbot platform, employees can submit requests, get updates, download forms, check status, access lab reports, and review schedules. This eliminates the need to call different departments for information.

Furthermore, conversational AI can be used for internal record-keeping and tracking hospital resources, such as wheelchairs and blood pressure cuffs. By freeing up significant time for healthcare workers, chatbots allow them to focus on more critical tasks and higher-value work.

Delivering More Effective Healthcare Services

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can assist hospitals and clinics in providing more efficient and effective healthcare services in the following ways.

Faster Service

Conversational AI can improve healthcare services by providing faster access to information, streamlining appointment scheduling, and assisting with triaging.

24/7 Availability

Limited hours of operation in offices or hospitals can limit patients’ ability to interact with healthcare workers and other staff. However, chatbots are available 24/7, providing patients with continuous access to assistance. Conversational AI can be a significant advantage for healthcare providers already overwhelmed with work, as it can serve as the first line of support.

Greater Accuracy and Consistency

Integrating chatbots with CRM, ERP, and EMR systems can automatically update records, making patient data accessible, accurate, and consistent.

Consistent Experience

Interacting with different human agents or healthcare workers can result in varying customer experiences, such as inconsistent information or contrasting behavior. However, this is not the case with conversational AI. AI-powered chatbots that utilize machine learning technology improve with time and deliver a more consistent user experience.

Wider Reach

Chatbots can communicate in various languages, making it easier for healthcare providers to serve patients who prefer interacting in languages other than English. Healthcare institutions serving patients worldwide should deploy multilingual chatbots to cater to non-English speaking customers.

Multilingual Conversational AI

Multilingual conversational AI allows healthcare providers to reach and support a wider audience, improving the customer experience. Patients are more comfortable conversing in their native language and have better health outcomes when communicating effectively with their healthcare providers.

Healthcare providers who serve patients who speak different languages should consider using a multilingual chatbot. Customers prefer self-service to solve their problems instead of talking to a customer service agent. They want quick and convenient solutions. However, they need to be able to interact with brands in their language.

However, adding multilingual support for conversational AI can be a complex process. That’s where a language service provider (LSP) with expertise in conversational AI comes in. Welocalize can help you develop high-quality conversational AI multilingual training data sets to create conversational AI systems that understand text and speech in multiple languages.

Connect with us here to learn more about developing impactful multilingual engagement with your clients and patients.