Digital voice assistants such as Amazon Echo (Alexa), Google Assistant, Siri, and Bixby respond to commands and questions, but their engagement ends with audio content. Care.Coach‘s eponymous care.coach platform combines digital imagery, voice, and live coaching to engage patients who have chronic conditions.
The care.coach platform uses a special-purpose tablet that displays an animated graphic avatar: either a dog or cat. A team of trained health advocates monitor the platform, respond to questions, give reminders, and engage with patients spontaneously when patients are in view of the tablet’s camera. When conversations with patients take a medical turn, the platform automatically shifts to clinical best practice algorithms. The care.coach platform also sends reports when necessary to family members, caregivers, and medical professionals.
Care.coach support includes algorithm-driven health coaching, psychosocial support, automated alerts, and scheduled reminders. The platform collects patient-generated data on patient moods, care plan adherence, weight, and other information to create actionable plans and reports when needed.
The care.coach goals include improved patient satisfaction and experience as well as better self-management of chronic conditions. Positive platform outcomes include reduced risk, less use of unnecessary services, and lower cost of care. In addition to patients with chronic illnesses, care.coach is intended to assist elderly people aging at home.
