The need for health care is growing along with the world population. Although healthcare is getting more and more digitalized, the 2020 pandemic was the catalyst for the demand for far more rapid adoption and adaptability.
More specifically, much like any other industry, healthcare management depends on the development of digital communication. In order to deliver services and solutions with the least amount of overhead costs and to provide patients with prompt and individualized help even during times of crisis, a rising number of businesses and organizations in the healthcare sector are beginning to focus on more dependable communication platforms. When it comes to more sensitive and private subjects like healthcare and medicine, patients are also becoming more and more at ease with Internet communication.
WhatsApp is at the center of these changes.
The Crisis that “Broke the Ice” for WhatsApp in Healthcare
When you consider receiving medical care and services, WhatsApp probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Well, not before 2020, at least. The epidemic has brought attention to the healthcare communication gaps and demands. It stopped face-to-face doctor consultations, with the exception of emergencies, and put a tremendous amount of stress on government officials and healthcare personnel.
Fast action was required, and WhatsApp business automation was the solution in many situations. Businesses have been utilizing the WhatsApp Business API feature for two years by the year 2020. The feature evolved into the industry standard for effective communication during times of crisis for the whole healthcare industry.
Many nations used the program to communicate knowledge about the illness and pandemic rules and to respond to inquiries. The multilingual WHO Health Alert solution, which was released by the World Health Organisation in seven languages, is arguably the most well-known use of WhatsApp in the healthcare industry. Its purpose was to raise awareness of COVID-19 and disseminate the most recent information, including details on symptoms and preventative measures.
Governments also embraced the messaging app solution without hesitation. India established the MyGov Corona Helpdesk to combat misinformation, educate the populace, and provide the turmoil the pandemic caused some sort of order.
Advantages of WhatsApp in Healthcare
Then why use WhatsApp? Why is it gaining traction across various areas, including healthcare? What benefits does it offer in terms of communication?
Some of the main advantages include:
Comfort: With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging service in the world. It enables healthcare organizations to interact with their patients in settings where they are most relaxed.
Encryption: Since WhatsApp conversation is encrypted, sharing sensitive data, such as medical information, is safe on the platform.
Automation: Because WhatsApp’s API supports chatbot automation, it provides a backup plan for the organization in case human personnel isn’t enough to handle patient inquiries.
Patience and lack of judgment: As software, chatbots are unbiased, taught to be polite, and lack any sort of judgment, which could be a source of worry for many patients.
Personalized attention: Because every WhatsApp account is different, it’s simple to customize one-on-one interactions over time.
WhatsApp Business API for the Healthcare Sector
In general, the healthcare industry adopts new technologies rather slowly. WhatsApp, on the other hand, is gaining popularity more quickly than ever.
Why?
It is efficient, rapid, and suitable for a wide range of use situations.
Appointment Scheduling
For any business, effectively organizing and scheduling appointments is essential and terrifying. Disaster is building when the delicate and demanding nature of medical treatment is added.
The scheduling phase of patient interactions is one of the finest times to use a WhatsApp chatbot. Patients can plan appointments, check on forthcoming appointments, cancel or reschedule the appointments, and even get answers to any queries or lingering concerns they may have regarding the procedure in issue from a booking bot.
All that without blocking your phone lines for minutes on end and keeping your staff from attending the patients that are on the premises already.
Appointment Reminders
Did you realize that missed appointments cost the healthcare industry $150 billion annually? No-shows for appointments waste time and money and keep other patients from receiving the treatment they require. Therefore, it’s crucial to have a system that can send patients a reminder via a channel they check every day.
Healthcare facilities and businesses can automate reminders with little expense and effort by utilizing WhatsApp Business API solutions. It not only makes sure that the patients are more likely to read the message, but also encourages them to take responsibility and cancel when they are unable to appear because doing so is simple.
Access to Patient Health Records
Without access to the patient’s medical history, healthcare professionals find it challenging to accurately assess the patient’s condition. Therefore, having access to patient records adds value to their work.
In this situation, combining the WhatsApp Business API with outside resources can be beneficial on both sides of the spectrum. A bot, for instance, can make it possible for your team to access files and essential patient data while on the go. Alternatively, patients can input pertinent information and their medical history using a chatbot before their visit.
Quick Resolutions to Medical Queries and FAQs
Medical queries are frequently pressing and can’t really be put off until later. No matter the time of day or the patient’s location, a chatbot and live support can help you respond to their questions quickly.
For instance, a WhatsApp bot can quickly respond to common queries. However, if the patient’s question is more complicated, the bot can still evaluate it, gather information, and send it to the appropriate medical expert for resolution.
In this approach, you may instantly provide them with medical advice and other crucial details about your healthcare organization. When compared to phone or email, it will help you resolve issues faster, reduce staff workload, and maintain low overhead.
Lab Results Notifications
Sharing test findings with patients and conveying outcomes is another fantastic use for WhatsApp API.
Why?
First off, consumers respond to notifications from messaging apps much more quickly and frequently than they do emails. Second, discussing this information in a casual context enables you to provide immediate direction on the next steps, giving your patients very little time or room for confusion or error.
Instead of having to log into a secure portal on a desktop to acquire the PDF, a patient, for instance, can quickly view their COVID-19 test results and download the required paper. It is simple and easy to understand.
Or picture a situation when a patient gets the results of a blood test. Based on those findings, the chatbot can right away propose to schedule a consultation with the appropriate doctor and/or communicate pertinent information (such as advice regarding dietary changes or lifestyle adjustments), resulting in a more complete experience.
Symptom Evaluation & Consulting
We are not always certain if they require medical attention. Sometimes your trip to the doctor is so brief that you’re not even sure why you went.
Automated symptom evaluation can be done using a WhatsApp chatbot. The bot can lead patients to the appropriate physician, provide simple advice, or even follow up with the patient in a few days to check if the symptoms persist by responding to a series of questions.
As an alternative, the chatbot can merely collect the patient’s symptoms and then transfer the conversation to a medical expert for a remote evaluation and recommendation of the patient’s next course of action.
Prescription Management
Managing patient prescriptions is another excellent application of WhatsApp for healthcare. The WhatsApp API allows you to send:
- Prescription slips
- Updates and modifications to current prescriptions
- Reminder to take prescribed medication
- notifies the patient when their medication is running low
- Requests for comments to evaluate the impact
- etc.
Remote Counseling
Did you know that message-based treatment has some impressive outcomes? For instance, a study on the effects of massage therapy on anxiety and depression that was published in the Journal of Technology in Behavioural Science found that symptom reduction was significant for 84% of participants with elevated depression and 65% of those with elevated anxiety. They reported having missed a lot less work and being much less impaired at work and during other activities.
While messaging may not be a perfect replacement for in-person treatment, it is substantially more affordable and available. For outpatients, patients who live far away, or patients who cannot financially afford a traditional type of therapy, you can use WhatsApp business to deliver mental health counseling sessions.
Medical Research
To perform research on related ailments and diseases, experts from various organizations frequently assemble.
By managing participants and data, WhatsApp can assist researchers in conducting studies and suggesting alternate treatment methods.
The data gathered through WhatsApp can be used to track disease patterns or even potential treatment methods.
Health Insurance Guidance
For many people, dealing with health insurance is a complete nightmare. It takes a very long time to digest, is unclear, difficult to understand, and disordered.
However, things don’t have to be that way. You can utilize WhatsApp automation to speed up every step of the process, from responding to FAQs to gathering and processing claim-related paperwork.
As an illustration, Plum, a platform for employee benefits that offers group medical insurance to businesses in India, used WhatsApp to fully automate their claim process with a chatbot.
Payments & Receipts
Using WhatsApp to just handle the payments for your services is another fantastic usage of the app.
While you cannot advertise and market medical products or gadgets using the messaging app, you can handle payments for services rendered and send out receipts for purchases or unpaid invoices.
Patient Feedback
Patient input comes last but not least. Like every other sector, healthcare is increasingly depending on customer feedback to attract new clients.
This problem is dealt with by a WhatsApp Automation solution on two levels:
It makes providing feedback exceedingly simple—as simple as responding to a message—allowing you to obtain the data required to enhance your service directly.
It makes it much simpler for customers to really review your company, which means you will probably always have access to new customer satisfaction reviews.
WhatsApp’s Business and Commerce Policies for Healthcare
WhatsApp is generally fairly strict about conducting business through the app. This is especially true in the case of healthcare because it is a more sensitive industry. So make sure to examine the stringent commerce policies and requirements before you start automating WhatsApp!
To assist you stay within the law and make the most of it, below is a summary:
- You ARE PROHIBITED from utilizing the WhatsApp Business app or the API if the main purpose of your company is to sell prescription medications;
- Medical equipment, medications, and other supplies CANNOT be advertised or offered for sale by pharmacies or other businesses;
- Businesses and pharmacies are prohibited from sending correspondence that does not relate to the “administration of medical services;”
However, there are some exceptions. For example, pharmacies can conduct business on WhatsApp provided that:
- Their “separate clinical laboratory or patient care services;”
- The medical service is listed on their WhatsApp Business Account (e.g., clinic, laboratory, immunizations, diagnosis center, etc.);
- On their company website, they make it obvious that they provide vaccinations and/or any type of medical tests.
But generally speaking, WhatsApp forbids the sale of any kind of supplements within the app store, messaging threads, business profiles, and message templates. Check out our comprehensive guide to making fantastic WhatsApp message templates to make sure you receive those template notifications correctly.
To Wrap Things Up
Overall, WhatsApp automation offers virtually limitless opportunities to streamline medical services for patients and healthcare workers alike.
There are several factors to take into account while analyzing WhatsApp’s usability, cost-effectiveness, and ability to enable highly customized services.
Want to learn more? Check out the no-code WhatsApp API solution from Msgclub.