A robot for handling calls

When we think of medical information, the first thing that comes to mind is a call centre representative working in the 9-5 shift and providing information regarding a particular medicine. Imagine if this activity is performed by a robot that is available 24/7/365 and can understand every language and access all the information regarding the company’s medicinal products; you can ask questions in any language, and you are assured a response in the same language within 30 seconds! This is going to be the future of medical information. In the era of machine learning, you only need to feed data about your company products in real-time. On top of this, if you provide access to medical literature, this robot can create wonders! Even regulatory agencies can consider having multipurpose robots that can respond to queries and even record adverse events.

One can utilize this robot for additional activities such as:

1. Classification and triage of inquiries
2. Forwarding inquiries to the relevant teams (Safety/Quality/Marketing/Legal/etc.)
3. Processing of adverse events
4. Follow-up of adverse events
5. Providing automated responses to inquiries via E-Mail

Chatbot

A trained robot may require a sizeable investment; not all companies can afford it, while some companies would use both. One can consider using a chatbot with a limited sound interface (primarily for voice-to-text and vice-versa). Imagine a chatbot available 24/7, where you can enter information in any language and get the information in the language of your choice. The chatbot would have all the information about the company products and will be able to generate forms, links and documents (including the product labels). The query will be sent to the respective stakeholders if information is unavailable.

Mobile Apps

A specialized mobile app may assist with periodic reminders and tracking, providing an interface between medical information and patient support initiatives or risk minimization activities. A mobile app with a real-time provision for addressing medical inquiries will be invaluable!

Wearables

Wearable devices can be vital in monitoring the patient’s health remotely. Again, the wearables can interface medical information and patient support initiatives or risk minimization activities.

Although it is too early to predict if such modern techniques can replace medical information professionals, a hybrid model will be an excellent option to consider immediately!