People who have an Amazon Alexa device will now be able to get expert health advice as they have partnered with the NHS. Starting this week the Alexa devices will automatically search the NHS website when UK users ask for health advice. The government hope this will reduce the use of the NHS for non emergency help.
Users can ask the device questions like: Alexa, how do I treat a migraine?”; ‘Alexa, what are the symptoms of flu?’ and “Alexa what are the symptoms of chickenpox?”. Then they will reply with NHS advice.
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “Technology like this is a great example of how people can access reliable, world-leading NHS advice from the comfort of their home, reducing the pressure on our hardworking GPs and pharmacists.”
The Department of Health (DoH) said patients will not be given devices they would have to be purchased by the user.
The voice search technology is getting more popular as it is seen as easier to find answers and by 2020 it is believed that half of all searches will be made via voice.
The NHS long term plan is committed to making services more digital therefore this is a step in the right direction to achieve this!
Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX, which is charged with overseeing the digital drive, said: “By working closely with Amazon and other tech companies, big and small, we can ensure that the millions of users looking for health information every day can get simple, validated advice at the touch of a button or voice command.
“Part of our mission at NHSX is to give citizens the tools to access services and information directly, and partnerships such as this are an important part of achieving this.”
