How chatbots and robots can fill healthcare's unmet needs

Among patients and providers alike, bots are beginning to make their mark on healthcare. Supported by advancements in natural language processing and artificial intelligence, the technology is seeing an increasing variety of implementations. These range from text-based reception and customer service chatbots -- for instance Novo Nordisk's Sophia, which the company recently told MobiHealthNews has fielded more than 11,000 conversations and 27,000 questions since launching a few months back -- to the patient triage and symptom checking offered by Babylon Health and Buoy Health, respectively. But these aren't the only ways in which bots can play a role in care. At next month's Connected Health Conference in Boston, keynotes and roundtables will discuss novel uses for these technologies that could be feasible within the next several years. A terminal diagnosis is a burden for patients as well as their loved ones.