Nope. AI isn’t here to steal your jobs. AI is here to enhance caregiving.
In the ever-evolving world of healthcare, where driving innovation is encouraged and celebrated, this relatively new groundbreaking collaboration is rapidly gaining attention. We’re talking about the partnership between artificial intelligence (AI) technology and human specialists.
As you probably already know, our mission at Anya, is to provide 24/7 support to parents. And to do that, we harness the power of the AI technology and human partnership, to ensure that our users can access helpful evidence-based information and empathetic support around the clock. Even when the humans are off duty! ????
In the world of healthcare, the new and exciting capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has brought about transformative possibilities. The ability to offer personalised 24/7 care through AI-driven solutions is a remarkable advancement. However, it’s crucial to remember that while AI presents great potential, it’s not without its faults. One of the most significant concerns of AI in healthcare is the potential for the spread of misinformation (information without credibility or evidence), a danger that does not come without its consequences – particularly within the clinical context. Misinformation can lead to terrible consequences and has the potential to compromise patient health and well-being. Thus, as we marvel at the capabilities of AI, it is important to emphasise the need for its cautious and ethical utilisation to ensure users receive nothing less than the most accurate, evidence-based information round the clock.
Unlike many other AI platforms, our commitment to ensuring the highest standards of accuracy and reliability sets us apart. We take deep pride in our AI tech and human specialist collaboration, wherein every piece of content published by Anya undergoes meticulous review by our team of human experts. This rigorous process guarantees that the information provided to users meets the highest standards of clinical accuracy and is free from misleading or harmful content. Moreover, our specialists are continuously monitoring conversations to uphold the safety and well-being of users, further reinforcing our dedication to providing AI-powered healthcare solutions that are both effective and ethically sound.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of AI technology working hand-in-hand with human experts and debunk common misconceptions surrounding this new kind of partnership.
1. The Power of 24/7 Accessibility
Imagine it’s 2 o’clock in the morning and you’re a new parent, feeling overwhelmed with an unsettled baby; you don’t know what to do. Your infant is crying uncontrollably, and nothing seems to comfort them. You aren’t sure how to settle your baby back to sleep and you’re feeling helpless. You wish someone was there to help.
It’s precisely during these challenging moments that AI technology truly shines.
AI systems, like the one we’ve developed at Anya, are available 24/7, offering a reliable, evidence-based resources to support parents in their moments of need. We know that over 62% of parents asked for support outside of working hours during our NHS Pilot Study, and therefore the ability to provide 24/7 assistance becomes a valuable tool in healthcare; reducing anxiety and offering guidance when parents need it the most. You can read more about this in our NHS Pilot Outcomes report.
2. Complementing Human Expertise
One of the biggest misconceptions about AI technology in healthcare is the fear that it will replace human specialists and healthcare providers. The reality is quite different.
AI is designed to complement and enhance human expertise. At Anya, our team of Clinical specialists work very closely with our AI specialists to ensure that the responses and content provided are clinically accurate, up-to-date, and in line with best practices in infant feeding and parenting. Our AI couldn’t run effectively without our team of healthcare professionals. Keep an eye out for our industry talks and professional webinars to hear our AI and Clinical specialists talk more about this topic.
3. Rapid Access to Evidence Based Information
In today’s fast-paced world, parents often need immediate answers to their questions. AI technology provides rapid access to information, allowing parents to get the guidance they need in a matter of seconds. This quick response time can be crucial in situations where waiting for an appointment with a healthcare provider is not an option. The sooner we can provide information to parents, the sooner we can alleviate their anxiety and concerns – supporting both the parent and infant.
4. Personalised, Judgement-free Guidance
Parents often tell us they are worried about opening with their peers or healthcare providers for fear of being judged. AI listens non-judgementally and offers tailored/personalised responses. Another remarkable advantage of AI technology is its ability to provide personalised guidance. By analysing data and user engagement / input, AI can tailor its responses to the specific needs and circumstances of everyone. This level of personalisation ensures that parents receive advice and support that is directly relevant to their situation. Anya personalises its content recommendations based on the parent’s previous engagement with the app and information they have told us such as their ethnicity, stage in pregnancy or the age of the baby.
5. Enhancing Healthcare Provider Efficiency
AI technology can alleviate the burden on healthcare providers by handling routine, frequently asked enquiries and tasks. At Anya, we monitor the volume of queries and analyse them – enabling us to categorise queries into certain topics at different ages and stages. This enables our team to focus on providing content and support where it is needed most. When a parent has a unique or new scenario that the AI hasn’t learned enough about yet, they’re able to request to speak to a human specialist via the app. By providing this, Anya offers an additional layer of support, supporting healthcare specialists and providers to focus on more unique cases and spend more time with patients who require in-person, 1-2-1 care. In this way, AI technology acts as a valuable support system, enhancing the efficiency of healthcare services.
6. Continuous Learning and Improvement
AI is not a static entity; it’s constantly evolving and learning. At Anya, our AI system continuously improves by analysing user interactions and feedback. This means that the AI’s responses become more accurate and helpful over time. It’s like having a virtual specialist that gets better with every interaction. If clinical guidance changes, our expert clinical specialists update the AI to ensure it is always providing the most clinically accurate and credible support.
7. Scalability
One of the major advantages of AI technology is its scalability. It can provide consistent and high-quality support to an unlimited number of users simultaneously. This is especially crucial in scenarios where there is a high demand for information and support, such as during a pandemic, in densely populated or even very rural areas.
8. Data-Driven Insights
The data collected by AI systems can be a valuable resource for healthcare providers and researchers. It can help identify trends and patterns in parenting and infant feeding issues, leading to improved strategies for healthcare and parenting support.
9. The Human Touch
While AI technology is incredibly powerful, it hasn’t quite developed the empathy and warmth that human specialists can bring to the table. That’s why our human specialists write our AI; enabling our users to always be treated with empathy, warmth and compassion. Humans provide another level of emotional support when it comes to parents or infants in distress. This is when parents may need it most and understanding that can be essential in times of overwhelm. At Anya, our team recognises the importance of the human touch and works alongside AI to offer a well-rounded, emotional support system.
In conclusion, the synergy between AI technology and human specialists in healthcare, as exemplified by Anya, offers numerous benefits to parents and healthcare providers alike. It provides 24/7 availability, complements human expertise, offers rapid access to information, delivers personalised guidance, supports workload efficiency for healthcare providers, and continually learns and improves. This partnership is not about replacing specialists; it’s about enhancing their capabilities and expanding access to quality healthcare support.
As we move forward in the healthcare landscape, it’s important to embrace the potential of AI technology as a valuable ally in improving healthcare outcomes and making support available to those who need it, whenever they need it. At Anya, we’re proud to be at the forefront of this transformative collaboration, ensuring that parents receive the support they deserve on their journey through parenthood, and beyond!
14th September 2023. Written by Harriet Shuttleworth & Laura Bravo
