Revolutionizing Healthcare Booking with WhatsApp 
Chatbot Technology
We recently partnered with a SaaS provider, an expert in driving innovations in the healthcare industry. They function to streamline patient management for clinics and enhance the workflow with effective patient management, similar to a hospital information system.
About end users:
Patients
Doctors
Nurses
Hospital administrators
Our client approached us with a powerful vision: to make healthcare more accessible for everyone. They already had an impressive network of over 600 polyclinics and 5,000+ doctors. That was just a starting point. However, a missing link was to let patients seamlessly connect with doctors. So, we were clear with our goal: To simplify getting doctor’s appointments for patients.
Our proposal to attain the goal:
A user-friendly WhatsApp chatbot designed to revolutionize doctor appointment bookings.
Adopting this approach would mean leveraging the trend of using conversational AI in healthcare to enhance the patient and clinic experience.
Major Challenges
Our journey to revolutionize healthcare bookings with WhatsApp for the client had some obstacles. Here are some challenges we tackled to create a robust solution.
Breaking Down the Medical Jargon Barrier
The challenge was to create a system where the chatbot could understand these terms and translate them into everyday language that patients usually use.
This means we needed a workaround wherein patients can easily type in their symptoms over a WhatsApp chat. Based on that, the specialized doctor should receive an alert in real time.
Scope for Algorithm to Navigate Doctors’ Availability
One of the major goals of this project was to connect patients with the right doctors at the right time.
For this, we needed a sophisticated algorithm that factors in doctors' schedules, specializations, and data from the client's existing healthcare system.
Navigating Medical Codes to Simplify Terminologies
The client provided us with the framework of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes established by the World Health Organization.
However, there was a caveat — each code's descriptions and associated symptoms were missing. This meant, there was a challenge to compile and meticulously organize a vast amount of medical information for our chatbot to accurately interpret and communicate these conditions.
Our Solution
As mentioned above, we had the outcome planned. But then, a set of challenges needed solutions. So, here’s how we revolutionized the appointment booking process.
Direct Scheduling and Management
Our chatbot empowers patients to book appointments with the right doctors at nearby clinics. Patients can also reschedule or confirm appointments to have total control and flexibility.
Automated Reminders for Improved Adherence
The automated reminders were integrated into this booking system to reduce missed appointments. Here, patients get direct reminders one day prior via WhatsApp.
Secure by Design
Dealing with the sensitive data of patients and doctors requires data security. For this, we prioritized security throughout the development process by ensuring the implementation of robust measures that protect patient and doctor information at every step.
Development Methodology
To ensure a smooth, adaptable development process, we employed a structured Agile methodology.
Instead of simultaneously overwhelming ourselves with the entire project, we broke it into smaller, focused sprints. This kept us on track and ensured we always delivered value.
We had regular check-ins to gather those insights and ensure the solution perfectly aligned with your vision.
The Agile approach is all about embracing change. When requirements shift, or new challenges arise, we can adjust our course quickly and effectively.
Technology Stack
Our developers were instrumental in providing a comprehensive WhatsApp solution for patient appointments.
This means we leveraged a technology stack to deliver results. Here's a breakdown of the core technologies and their roles:
Flask framework (Python) for the backend that handles the logic, process the users’ data, and act as a communication layer to bind different system components.
Twilio for WhatsApp communication to chatbot directly to the WhatsApp script.
PyTorch for developing the Large Language Model (LLM). A key component that enable the chatbot to understand and process natural language.
Impact of the Solution
Here are some of the key impacts that our solution offered.
Empowering Patients
Booking doctor appointments is now remarkably simpler and more intuitive than ever before. Patients can find the right care and initiate the process right within the familiar WhatsApp interface.
Location-Specific Booking
We leveraged WhatsApp's ‘share location’ feature to identify patients' locations. Based on that, our solution offers them the convenience of connecting them to the nearest polyclinic. This eliminates the burden of searching for healthcare providers in their area as we assign their health queries to the nearest polyclinic with a specialist doctor.
Streamlined Operations
The chatbot automates many administrative tasks associated with appointment scheduling. This frees clinic staff to focus on more critical aspects of patient care.
Boosting Patient Appointment
The ease of use and accessibility of the solution resulted in a significant increase in appointment bookings. This showcases strong user satisfaction and a positive shift in healthcare engagement.
To Sum Up
A simple messenger app like WhatsApp can also be a powerful tool for making patient appointments, making it a powerful tool for the healthcare industry.
Our team at NNT Digital focused on creating a simple solution out of WhatsApp, similar to texting a friend. Patients can simply write their symptoms and get assigned a specialist near their residence area.
This project also highlights the role of conversational AI in the healthcare ecosystem. We leveraged AI for analyzing large language models to scan through a large dataset of ICDs provided by WHO.
At NNT Digital, we're all about finding tech solutions that make a real difference in healthcare.
