In terms of technology with the power to both disrupt and improve the way that people engage with digital health, there is an argument to be made that conversational AI (which includes Machine Learning) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) can be the missing link. According to the World Economic Forum, virtual assistants – and, by association, chatbots – are not only being used in a diverse set of industries (healthcare, education, retail, tourism, and more), but also offer opportunities for companies to integrate NLP into routine or mundane activities. For instance, Amazon's Alexa is the chatbot that the average person associates with the tech, but the key element in every interaction is the ability of NLP to understand what it is being asked and respond with the appropriate information. Simply put, a "chatbot" is AI software that simulates human conversation with end users – this can be text or voice – with the aim being to leverage machine learning algorithms and NLP to deliver required outcomes. The results of the study paper – which was published in the Journal of Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences and Technology – were especially illuminating when it came to both understanding how chatbots were perceived by the focus group and the adoption rates of providers themselves.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed doctor-patient dynamics worldwide. On one hand, healthcare workers and doctors are tirelessly working to treat COVID patients, while on the other, elderly patients and those with chronic diseases who need routine medical check-ups are faced with increased vulnerability and the risk of contracting coronavirus during regular hospital visits. While all of this is going on, patients with milder symptoms are being encouraged to use telehealth platforms to alleviate the strain on hospital facilities. A part of the solution to all these problems is one word: telemedicine. Here's a look at what telemedicine is, and how Nvidia (NVDA) is supporting it as the broader digital health ecosystem.

Many experts have already started contemplating that the damage due to COVID19 that is apparently visible today; may its economy, social, political or other aspects of our lives, is just the tip of the iceberg, and the gigantic submerged part is yet to be realized by the world and will be visible gradually post-COVID. I am praying that this prediction comes out wrong, otherwise it's not going to be any less than a horrible nightmare for all of us. On the contrary, probably the biggest positive aspect that COVID has attributed and initiated so far is that, it acted as a wakeup alarm for the entire world to focus on the healthcare systems. It brutally proved that healthcare and medicine today is far behind to fight against a pandemic or any biological warfare, the possibility of which cannot be ignored in the future. COVID has proven that in this highly connected world we should be concerned about everything that is happening even in the remotest corner of the world, because the same can come and knock at your door the very next day.