Microsoft, CDC Team Up on Chatbot Checking Coronavirus Symptoms
March 19 2020 - 8:05PM
Dow Jones News
By Aaron Tilley
Microsoft is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and a number of major healthcare providers to deploy
a chat bot to help tackle the coronavirus crisis.
The Microsoft-powered chatbot guides users through self
assessment and connects them to additional resources and medical
professionals if the patient has been determined to be at risk.
The use of a chatbot is one of several efforts underway offered
by tech companies to help assist in the crisis. A Google-affiliated
website, for example, was launched this week to help direct
potential coronavirus patients to testing sites.
The chatbot is already deployed in nine health systems around
the world, with around 20 coming online soon, said Microsoft. It
was first deployed in a limited fashion on March 5th on the website
of healthcare provider Providence, and then fully deployed to every
user on March 8th. On the Providence website, it asks a number of
questions based on CDC guidelines, and depending on the answers, it
gives an option to contact a doctor or do a virtual video
visit.
The CDC launched the bot it calls the "Coronavirus Self-Checker"
Thursday.
For Providence, more than 40,000 sessions of people visiting the
website and more than a million messages sent between people and
bot. To date, there were more than 6,000 hand-offs to a video
consultation. "It's just something consumers need now to help with
anxiety," said Maryam Gholami, chief product officer of Digital
Innovations at Providence.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 19, 2020 19:50 ET (23:50 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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