Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant tested in Boston hospital

Picture this: At every step of a patient's trip through the hospital, a virtual assistant awaits, ready to answer questions, pull up medical records -- or snap photos during surgery. Hospital staff and patients walked through that futuristic hospital scenario one recent afternoon at a new simulation center at Boston Children's Hospital. Fifty people came to dream up ways that Amazon's Alexa voice-recognition software program could help in the clinic and at home. The hospital dove into voice-assisted software last month, when it released an Alexa-based app called KidsMD that gives parents advice when their children catch a fever. Children's "is leading the way when it comes to hands-free work in hospitals" using Alexa, an Amazon spokeswoman said.