Voice Technology in Healthcare : Leveraging Voice to Enhance Patient and Provider Experiences

The healthcare industry is on the cutting edge of voice-user interface (VUI) design and making great progress to improve patient care through developing technologies, literally transforming the voice of the industry. The advantages of VUI extend far beyond simple conveniences for patients or a healthcare employee's saved phone call. VUI has a profound impact on care improvement. Just like a person, a well-designed VUI can use tone of voice, inflection and other elements in conversation to shape behaviors or calm nerves. With VUI, physicians and patients become empowered to make informed decisions about healthcare.

The use of voice technology across smart speakers, IoT, clinical and home devices, and wearables for improving the patient experience and clinical outcomes was recently identified as one of most significant emerging technologies in healthcare. Smart speakers are the #1 selling consumer item in the world and major competition is heating up between Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, Google Voice Assistant, and a host of other specialty platforms specific to healthcare. From Orbita and Macadamia to voice-enabled robotics from Pillo, Intuitive, Vivify, and RealView Imaging, voice technology is pervasive across the gamut of levels of devices. Voice technology is not just pervasive in smart speakers and smart phones – it is finding its way into wearables, vehicles, homes, and even consumer and clinical medical devices. We even have smart jewelry emerging with health, wellness, and safety features built in. Best of all, this trend spans intergenerational health and wellness that goes beyond clinical care into long term health and wellbeing and the potential for increased patient engagement.

In this book, the editors review information from the top thought-leaders in this space and examine real-world case studies of the outcomes and potential of voice technology in healthcare. Topics include a market survey, clinical use cases, home health use cases, health and wellness topics – fitness, nutrition, and wellbeing; next generation fitness facilities; voice and wearables in smart, connected communities; voice technology in social companions/robots; voice technology in the future surgical suites; a roadmap for the future from top technology; standards in voice technology; and the future of voice technology and artificial intelligence.

David Metcalf, Teri Fisher, Sandhya Pruthi, Harry P. Pappas