JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Voice-Controlled Intelligent Personal Assistants (VIPAs), such as Amazon Echo and Google Home, are AI-powered algorithms designed to simulate humans. Their hands-free interface and growing capabilities opened a wide range of applications in healthcare, covering off-clinic education, health monitoring, and communication. However, conflicting influence factors, such as patient safety and privacy concerns, make it difficult to foresee the further development of VIPAs in healthcare.

Objective:

This study aimed to develop a plausible scenario for further development of VIPAs in healthcare to support decision making regarding the procurement of VIPAs in healthcare organizations.

Methods:

We conducted a two-stage Delphi study with an internationally recruited panel consisting of voice assistant experts, medical professionals, and representatives of academia, governmental health authorities, and non-profit health associations having expertise with voice technology. Twenty projections were formulated and evaluated by the panelists. Descriptive statistics were used to derive the desired scenario.

Results:

The panelists expect VIPAs to be able to provide solid medical advice based on patients’ personal health information and to hold human-like conversations. However, in the short term, voice assistants might neither provide frustration-free user experience nor outperform or replace humans in healthcare. With a high level of consensus, the experts agreed with VIPAs’ potential to support elderly and be widely used as an an-amnesis, informational, self-therapy, or communication tool by patients and healthcare professionals. Although users’ and governments’ privacy concerns are not expected to decrease in the near future, the panelists believe that strict regulations capable to inhib-it VIPAs from providing medical help services will not be imposed.

Conclusions:

According to the surveyed experts, VIPAs will show notable technological development and gain more user trust in the near future, resulting in a widespread application in healthcare. However, voice assistants are expected to solely support healthcare professionals in their daily operations and will not be able to outperform or replace medical staff.