Virtual assistant vs chatbot and benefits for health care

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In the world of constantly developing technology, we can see an increase in the usage of various technological innovations and solutions for a great number of different purposes. The usage of AI and overall technology in health care is not really that new. However, it is being developed constantly. Two terms constantly keep popping up. In this article, we are going to take a look at the basics of virtual assistants and chatbots, their differences as well as how they are implemented in health care, and the benefits that come with their usage.

Innovative solutions in health care - new ways of communication

To begin with, we should start by mentioning the fact that over the past two years, the world of health care saw an overwhelming increase of patients due to the pandemic. This resulted in health care providers looking for new, innovative solutions to help their patients and maintain effective communication, even if it is long-distance. In turn, this increased the development of online, digital solutions and platforms in health care such as virtual assistants, chatbots, and overall AI.

Nowadays, humans have been able to utilize AI in ways in which we could've only dreamed of a few years ago. The usage of AI in effortless and efficient communication in health care has helped health care providers around the world tremendously. When it comes to the subject at hand, both Chatbots and Virtual Assistants are AI-powered computer programs. Both can interact with humans. Most users believe they are the same even though people interact with them on a daily basis. However, this is not the case. There are a few significant differences between the two. Let's take a look.

Virtual assistant

Let's take a look at virtual assistants first and explain the basics. Virtual assistants can help you by reminding you of meetings, keeping track of your to-do lists, taking notes, and so on. Virtual Assistants are software programs that imitate the functions of a personal assistant. Furthermore, they are designed to interpret human speech and are aided by artificial neural networks. They are built to accept input and carry out tasks using voice commands. One major trait of virtual assistants is that because they are AI-powered, they have the ability to learn the user's preferences and behaviors over time. In turn, they can offer a more personalized means of communication. This is incredibly important because it can directly improve the efficiency of communication with the patients and build a more trusting relationship.

In addition to this, virtual assistants can communicate with other intelligent devices. These assistants can be commonly found in handheld devices such as phones. This is why they are so convenient to use. Sending emails and creating to-do lists are some of the basic tasks these AI-powered software programs can do. Through their usage and time, they become wiser and can constantly learn.

Chatbots

A chatbot or simply, bot, is also computer software. Chatbot's main goal is to mimic human conversation. They are also powered by AI. Chatbots employ natural language processing to interact with users casually. They allow users aka patients to interact with their health care providers via messaging apps. However, as you already know, outside of health care, chatbots are also used in a variety of other businesses such as sales, product marketing, brand engagement, product assistance, etc. Chatbots respond with pre-programmed responses in communication with the patients.

The differences - Virtual Assistant vs Chatbot

When it comes to intelligence, the virtual assistant takes it as a win over the chatbot. While chatbots can communicate with users, they are configured to respond to a limited set of questions or statements as they are text-based. Although effective in certain scenarios, chatbots are not capable of keeping a long-term human dialogue. On the other hand. the interactive platform that is used by the virtual assistant is far more advanced. Virtual assistants can learn from their mistakes, distinguish languages and decipher them, as well as maintain communication with users outside of the pre-programmed answers.

Virtual assistants use dynamic conversation flow techniques. On the other hand, when talking with chatbots, the conversation ends as soon as queries have been resolved. This means that virtual assistants have a far better ability to keep the conversation going. The result is communication with the patients in a more human-like manner. Although both can be very helpful, when it comes to direct communication with the patients, it is relatively clear why virtual assistants have a slight advantage. Virtual assistants can also be used by doctors to manage their agendas, schedules, appointments, etc.

Chatbots are mainly focused on giving FAQ-like communication, while virtual assistants have the ability to handle more demanding tasks and dialogues. So, chatbots are excellent tools for gathering information from clients. Virtual Assistants on the other hand have a broad range of applications.

The usage in health care

Finally, how do these two compare when it comes to their usage in health care, and are they actually beneficial? For starters, let's answer the second question. Both chatbots and virtual assistants can be quite helpful to health care service providers and patients. Virtual assistants, however, are more advanced, and therefore, their usage can be beneficial for numerous different tasks. The benefits of health care are clear. Virtual assistants can help doctors manage and organize their busy schedules and so on, but they can also interact with patients on a more human level. Overall, the usage of both is constantly increasing and evolving just as the world of health care is gradually shifting more and more towards a digital approach.