The voice-user interface device from Amazon called Alexa is now HIPAA compliant (see: Amazon Alexa Now HIPAA Compliant; Watch for the Next Steps). This means that we are on the verge of a wide variety of new voice-user interface (VUI) apps relating to healthcare, some of which were detailed in a recent article (see: Voice Technology: A Disruptive Force in Healthcare). Below is an excerpt from the article:
Last month, an Amazon spokesperson told a reporter that the company frequently receives positive feedback from “aging-in-place” customers who use Alexa’s smart-home features as an alternative to going up and down stairs. Amazon’s Echo Show is another product that offers users Tap to Alexa, a screen interface that lets users who are deaf and hard of hearing tap common commands....We are seeing seniors embrace today’s connected devices to stay safely independent. Everything from blood pressure and glucose monitors to motion sensors are making seniors’ homes safer and smarter. Furthermore, voice devices can serve as the central data hub for all the connected devices in a person’s home....[M]ost seniors who live independently will do so in smart homes equipped with passive devices that continuously monitor vital signs and activities of daily living. .... According to Lyft, 3.6 million Americans have transportation issues that prevent them from getting to or from doctors’ appointments, and 25% of lower-income patients have missed or rescheduled their appointments due to lack of transportation. That’s where voice technology can help. ....By engaging patients in their homes – particularly those who make up the most high-risk, complex populations – VUI applications can keep patients out of the doctor’s office or hospital, while still providing strong outcomes.
I am particularly intrigued by the idea of a VUI device like Alexa operating as a health aide for seniors who are increasingly choosing to age-in-place at home (see: ALEXA, WHAT'S MY BLOOD-SUGAR LEVEL?). Each Alexa device helping a senior at home can be enhanced by wearables such as the Apple watch that can also monitor the heart and detect atrial fibrillation or detect slips and falls (see: Apple Collaborates with Janssen on Apple Watch AFib/Stroke Clinical Trial). Such wearables would be programmed to connect with the Alexa device in case the consumer is unaware of a problem or physically unable to issue commands to the device. Apple is experiencing an increasing percentage of its earnings from healthcare which will be an incentive to provide many more products in this area (see: Health care is one of Apple's most lucrative opportunities).
I am also intrigued by the opportunity to use Alexa or other VUI devices to coordinate transportation for the aging consumer to healthcare appointments or other activities. Many seniors are reluctant to give up their cars because transportation is so important for them despite the fact they may be accident prone. Alexa can be used to summon a Lyft or Uber ride. Now available from both Uber and Lyft is a subscription plan with a stipulated number of rides per month for a set fee (see: Uber and Lyft unveiled new subscription plans. But are they really worth the money?). For aging seniors, the cost of such a plan compared to the cost of an owner vehicle per month is less relevant than safety issues, both for the senior and for other drivers on the road (see: Older Drivers). For the children of an aged parent still driving, such subscription plan would also offer a break from their senior chauffeuring duties.
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