Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1510350
11 INTERVIEW 26.10.2023 are the standout features of the IPP that make this product unique in the healthcare industry? The Intelligent Patient Portal allows patients to have normal conversa- tions with the healthcare portal, and acts like an assistant, reminding pa- tients of their next appointments and even directing them to local support groups and resources. And over time, it gets better and smarter, learning from interactions to refine its capabil- ities. And thanks to its ability to ana- lyse input from patients, the IPP un- derstands patients' sentiment helping hospital teams to gauge how patients feel about their healthcare experience. How does IPP address pressing needs and challenges in the healthcare market? IPP overcomes language barriers and complex forms in healthcare through Natural Language Process- ing. Patients communicate naturally in their preferred language, fostering a better understanding of their health- care options. IPP's 'human touch' un- derstands the content and emotional context of patient queries to ensure empathetic interactions, remembers past interactions and delivers seam- less and personalized patient experi- ences while avoiding the frustration of starting from scratch. EBO has been supporting the NHS for quite some time. What were the major milestones and at what stage is EBO at in its relationship with the NHS today? One of our most notable achieve- ments is that today we are reaching over 14 million patients across sev- eral territories which continues to allow us to test, refine, and deliver our solutions. Another landmark was simplifying the tech interface and in- creasing accessibility to empower the most vulnerable populations to en- gage with healthcare services. Today, our relationship with the NHS is such that our technology solutions are not just add-ons but integral parts of the healthcare infrastructure and the in- troduction of the IPP, will cement this relationship further. What hurdles persist to achieve better patient engagement and inclusivity? In my opinion, there are three most pressing hurdles. The complexity and lack of transparency in healthcare sys- tems could be deterring patients from fully engaging in their healthcare jour- ney. A lack of trust concerning data privacy could be deterring patients from fully utilising digital health tools, which then affects engagement. The third challenge is the archaic and fragmented systems which hinder seamless data sharing and effective patient engagement. Can you provide a practical example of how the IPP simplifies clinical workflows through conversational AI? Let's take an example of a patient suffering from lower back pain who receives a CT scan referral from her General Practitioner and is then in- troduced to the new MSK pathway via the NHS App. Almost immediately, she receives a notification on her mobile phone from the MSK Virtual Assistant re- siding in EBO's IPP, urging her to self-schedule her appointment. She schedules her appointments, receives human-like responses, accesses care records, and completes forms effi- ciently, saving 40% of her time. The Virtual Assistant reminds her of ap- pointments, communicates in multi- ple languages, schedules follow-ups, and simplifies feedback. This example illustrates IPP's transformative impact on clinical workflows, patient engage- ment, language diversity, and time ef- ficiency, marking a paradigm shift in healthcare. What are EBO's future plans for further enhancing the IPP and expanding its reach? We plan to broaden the scope of the workflows supported by the IPP, in- formed by real-world use cases and the latest academic research on health- care delivery and AI utility to offer a more holistic healthcare experience. We also plan to expand language op- tions and accessibility features whilst exploring strategic partnerships to ex- pand IPP's reach, both geographically and in terms of integration with other platforms and Health Record systems. million patients in UK's NHS The Intelligent Patient Portal allows patients to have normal conversations with the healthcare portal, and acts like an assistant, reminding patients of their next appointments and even directing them to local support groups and resources