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Voice assistants are one of the latest trends reshaping the consumer technology landscape. According to a Pew Research study^[1], nearly half of Americans use voice assistants. Most users are accessing voice assistants on their smartphones, which is not surprising given the functionality has been embedded in these devices longer than newer platforms like smart speakers.

The growing demand for voice assistance
The voice assistant/smart speaker market continues to grow, rising from only 7 percent of U.S. households owning a smart speaker like Amazon Echo or Google Home in the first quarter of 2017 to an estimated 75 percent of households having a smart speaker by the end of 2020.^[2] This year, more than 56 million smart speakers are expected to ship, with U.S. consumers accounting for roughly 68 percent of those sales.^[3]

Today, the most common tasks for voice assistants are playing music, getting weather updates, asking fun questions, and doing general research. And of those who use smart speakers, more than half of them use the devices daily.^[4] The technology is moving out of its nascent stages and into mainstream adoption.

Health care organizations channel the power of voice
As consumers become more comfortable with the technology and the tasks these devices can perform grow, health care organizations are developing programs to define how voice assistants fit into their consumer engagement strategy. There are many ways hospitals and health care services providers can tap into the power of voice assistants to create connections with consumers and build brand preference over competitors who have yet to enter the space.

• Educate busy parents about ailments and medication dosing. Boston Children’s Hospital developed an Alexa Skill for the Amazon Echo that allows people to get information about common ailments and medication dosing. That could be a smart move to build loyalty with an audience that has higher engagement levels with smart speakers than the general population.^[5]
  
  
• Engage consumers who are interested in improving their health. The Cleveland Clinic created an Alexa skill that offers a daily health tip. The skill answers questions like “Why should you drink lemon water?” and “What are the worst diet mistakes?”
  
  
• Provide ER wait time information. Sutter Health, Northwell Health, and Ohio Health have Alexa skills that provide ER wait times and help patients find nearby locations.
  
  
• Provide patients and visitors with information about your facility. Voice assistants aren’t only for consumers to use in their homes. Evergreen Health uses a voice assistant approach to help patients and visitors in their NICU access information about their care, facility amenities, and get additional assistance. Patients and visitors can ask things like, “When will my doctor visit?” “How long is breakfast, lunch, or dinner served?” and “How late is the pharmacy, cafeteria, or giftshop open?”
  
  
• Shop for and buy items online and have them shipped to home. Walgreens is one of multiple retailers including Wal-Mart and Costco allowing consumers to buy items online for home delivery. This could be a useful connection for consumers with limited mobility or who have transportation challenges.

Considerations for patient privacy and HIPAA
As with any consumer outreach strategy, health care organizations should carefully consider requirements around HIPAA and protecting patient information. The use cases and abilities of voice assistants are growing rapidly and many of the platforms that offer these services are acknowledging the need to comply with HIPAA to drive further utility in their platforms. Health care organizations should keep a close eye on this space to understand which platforms are and aren’t compliant and how that shapes what an organization can do today with a voice assistant and what they can plan for in the future.  

Getting started with voice assistants
Amazon and Google provide resources for health care organizations interested in developing for their platforms. Amazon offers its Alexa Skills Kit for developers with resources on how to get started, different types of skills and a community forum. Google provides resources on how to build “actions” for its Google Assistant, which is used on its smart speakers, in phones, cars, TVs and more. Apple takes a slightly different approach, offering developers the opportunity to integrate voice assistant functionality into their apps taking advantage of their SiriKit.

By Sarah Bond | Posted April 24, 2018
SHSMD Editorial Advisory Board and Digital Engagement Task Force Member
Director, Brand and Digital Experience
Cerner
Kansas City, MO
sarah.bond@cerner.com

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