The healthcare industry is on the cutting edge of voice-user interface (VUI) design and making great progress to improve patient care through developing technologies, literally transforming the voice of the industry. The advantages of VUI extend far beyond simple conveniences for patients or a healthcare employee's saved phone call. VUI has a profound impact on care improvement. Just like a person, a well-designed VUI can use tone of voice, inflection and other elements in conversation to shape behaviors or calm nerves. With VUI, physicians and patients become empowered to make informed decisions about healthcare.
The use of voice technology across smart speakers, IoT, clinical and home devices, and wearables for improving the patient experience and clinical outcomes was recently identified as one of most significant emerging technologies in healthcare. Smart speakers are the #1 selling consumer item in the world and major competition is heating up between Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, Google Voice Assistant, and a host of other specialty platforms specific to healthcare. From Orbita and Macadamia to voice-enabled robotics from Pillo, Intuitive, Vivify, and RealView Imaging, voice technology is pervasive across the gamut of levels of devices. Voice technology is not just pervasive in smart speakers and smart phones - it is finding its way into wearables, vehicles, homes, and even consumer and clinical medical devices. We even have smart jewelry emerging with health, wellness, and safety features built in. Best of all, this trend spans intergenerational health and wellness that goes beyond clinical care into long term health and wellbeing and the potential for increased patient engagement.
In this book, the editors review information from the top thought-leaders in this space and examine real-world case studies of the outcomes and potential of voice technology in healthcare. Topics include a market survey, clinical use cases, home health use cases, health and wellness topics - fitness, nutrition, and wellbeing; next generation fitness facilities; voice and wearables in smart, connected communities; voice technology in social companions/robots; voice technology in the future surgical suites; a roadmap for the future from top technology; standards in voice technology; and the future of voice technology and artificial intelligence.
About the Author: David Metcalf, Ph D.
David Metcalf has more than 20 years of experience in the design and research of Web-based and mobile technologies converging to enable learning and health care. Dr. Metcalf is Director of the Mixed Emerging Technology Integration Lab (METIL) at UCF's Institute for Simulation and Training. The team has built mHealth solutions, simulations, games, eLearning, mobile and enterprise IT systems for Google, J&J, the Veterans Administration, U.S. military, and the UCF College of Medicine among others. Recent projects include Lake Nona's Intelligent Home prototype and SignificantTechnology, a mobile-enabled online degree and eResource kit. Dr. Metcalf encourages spin-offs from the lab as part of the innovation process and has launched Moving Knowledge and several other for-profit and nonprofit ventures as examples. In addition to research and commercial investments, he supports social entrepreneurship in education and health. Dr. Metcalf continues to bridge the gap between corporate learning and simulation techniques and nonprofit and social entrepreneurship. Simulation, mobilization, mobile patient records and medical decision support systems, visualization systems, scalability models, secure mobile data communications, gaming, innovation management, and operational excellence are his current research topics. Dr. Metcalf frequently presents at industry and research events shaping business strategy and use of technology to improve learning, health, and human performance. He is the coeditor and author of Blockchain Enabled Applications (2017) (With Dhillon and Hooper), Connected Health (2017), HIMSS mHealth Innovation (2014) and the HIMSS Books bestseller mHealth: From Smartphones to Smart Systems (2012).
Teri Fisher, MSc, MD
Dr. Teri Fisher is a Sport & Exercise Physician and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. He is an experienced TEDx and keynote speaker, educator, consultant, podcaster, and briefcaster who integrates his passions for medicine, education, voice technology, artificial intelligence, and e-health innovation. Dr. Fisher is the founder and host of "Voice First Health", the industry-leading website and podcast that highlights the rapidly expanding intersection of healthcare and voice-first technologies. Voice First Health also produces the leading educational health-related catalog of flash briefings. Dr. Fisher is also the founder of Alexa in Canada, the leading Amazon Alexa resource for Canadians, and Briefcast.FM, the premier flash briefing network. He is the host of the "Alexa in Canada" Podcast and the "Voice in Canada" Flash Briefing, the #1 rated Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing and News Skill in Canada. Through all of his shows, he helps to facilitate voice-first technology literacy and speaks on how artificial intelligence and voice-first technology are revolutionizing our lives. Dr. Fisher holds a Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University, and Bachelor of Education, Master of Science, and Medical Doctor degrees from UBC. When he's not conversing with his smart speakers, he can be found trying to keep up with his active wife and coaching his 2 children on the ice rink or baseball diamond.
Sandhya Pruthi, MD
Sandhya Pruthi, M.D., is a Professor of Medicine and a consultant in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Breast Clinic in the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 1994. She has worked in Global Business Solutions at Mayo Clinic for 15 years progressing in leadership responsibilities. She originally was a medical reviewer of health content and later assumed responsibilities as Chief Medical Editor. Dr. Pruthi assumed the role of Associate Medical Director for the Content Management and Delivery Ecosystem.
Dr. Pruthi earned the B.S. from the Faculty of Science at the University of Manitoba, in conjunction with her research at the Health Science Centre. She earned her M.D. at the University of Manitoba and subsequently completed a rotating internship at the University of Manitoba and a residency in family medicine at Mayo Clinic.
In her role as Associate Medical Director for the Content Management and Delivery Ecosystem Dr. Pruthi is responsible for providing clinical perspective and guidance to the development, implementation and promotion of health and wellness content products and services. Dr. Pruthi works with the vice chair of Content Management and Delivery to develop and implement strategy and tactics to deliver value to Mayo Clinic.
She frequently participates at external conference speaking on behalf of activities and/or products related to Mayo Clinic's commercialization of content. Dr. Pruthi also partners with the Senior Director Health Information in management and oversight of nearly 60 medical editors who review health information to ensure that content is medically accurate, reflective of best-available evidence, compatible with a Mayo-wide interpretation of that evidence.
Dr. Pruthi's research interests include chemoprevention of breast and biomarkers that might be useful for predicting breast cancer risk. She is the principal investigator at Mayo Clinic for several nationwide breast cancer prevention trials jointly coordinated by Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. She is the chief medical editor of the Reader's Digest Women's Health Encyclopedia, and has authored numerous articles, book chapters, audio/video materials, abstracts and letters.
Dr. Pruthi is a fellow in the American Academy of Family Physicians and received the Mayo Quality Innovation Program Award, the Mayo Clinical Practice Innovation Award and a recipient of the Center for Innovation CoDE Innovation Award. Dr. Pruthi is deeply involved in teaching and mentoring activities and developing patient and consumer health information content. Dr. Pruthi is President of the National Consortium of Breast Centers and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology.
Harry P. Pappas
A technology centric professional with HANDS ON expertise in: 3D printing, Auto-ID, Biometrics, BLE, Lo Ran, NFC, Robotics, RFID, RTLS, Sensors and Wireless technologies.
Harry Pappas has been working with RFID and bar coding technologies since 1995, wireless technologies and mobile devices since 1996 and custom software development since 1997.
He is a subject matter expert in the Healthcare eco-system, Pharma, Medical Devices, Telecommunications, Big Box Retailers, Manufacturing, Public Transportation industry and Aerospace.
Specialties: RFID, RTLS, ERP, MRP, WMS consultant, RFID, Sensors, & Wireless installations, Special Event organizer, Contract Negotiating, Marketing, Promotions, New Business development, New product development, Systems Integration, Internet/web specialist. Goal: to get the healthcare community to adopt new technology, software, apps, Voice and other forms of technology that can have a dramatic impact on improving patient outcomes, patient care and patient safety while driving down the cost of Healthcare for all citizens.
Mantra: "Help Others", Do "SOCIAL GOOD" during your life time.
