Amazon, Vocera team up on new Alexa skill for patients in hospitals

Medical communication company Vocera is teaming up with Amazon to build a new skill on Alexa aimed at making patients’ hospital experience more connected. 

The new skill will be focused on keeping patients and caregivers connected to their clinical team. Patients will also be able to use the combined technology to ask questions about their hospital stay. Tapping into an Amazon Echo in their room, patients will be able to just speak requests for a care team member. 

On the other end, care team members will get the request for care on either their Vocera Badge, Smartbade or Vina app. Employing Vocera Engage software, the new skill will be able to decipher phrases and keywords in order to contact the appropriate caregiver for the patient’s request. Caregivers will be able to respond verbally to the patient’s request over an Alexa device. 

WHY IT MATTERS 

It’s no secret that the U.S. is experiencing a nursing shortage in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the American Nurse Association, 500,000 RNs are expected to retire by 2022. 

This shortage has put more pressure on the healthcare system. A slew of new technologies are looking to help assist healthcare providers in their work. 

“We believe the intuitive and accessible nature of voice and Alexa has the potential to help and delight customers in many scenarios, in and outside of the home,” said Liron Torres, head of Alexa smart properties at Amazon.

“We’re excited to work with Vocera and extend the voice experiences customers already love to healthcare systems, and give care providers new ways to save time and personalize care for their patients.”

THE LARGER TREND 

Amazon Alexa has been used for a variety of healthcare functions. Earlier this month the company unveiled its connected home air quality monitor, which works with Alexa virtual assistant.

At the end of October Amazon announced that its Alexa voice assistant would be open for use in senior living communities and health systems. The tech giant also launched subscription service Alexa Together, which lets family members and caregivers remotely monitor aging families in their home.

Vocera has also been growing. In 2020 the company purchased patient-messaging technology company EASE Applications.