March 31, 2020, 4:31 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Anyone feeling sick right now often faces a dilemma. Should I see a doctor or is it unnecessary? Could I possibly have COVID-19 or just a harmless cold? Am I overreacting or is my concern justified? A digital COVID-19 chatbot from the Federal Ministry of Health is now set to provide quick answers to these questions, helping with an initial assessment of one’s situation.
Whether going outside is truly necessary should always be carefully considered during the current crisis. This can lead to an internal conflict, especially if you feel unwell and are unsure if a doctor’s visit is needed. On one hand, there’s always the concern of a COVID-19 infection, but you also don’t want to unnecessarily burden already overwhelmed medical practices. After all, the symptoms could just be a harmless cold.
The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) now aims to offer a solution to this problem with a new COVID-19 chatbot. Developed by the so-called “Health Innovation Hub” (HIH), this project of the BMG launched in April 2019 to promote technologies for the digitalization of medical care and test their benefits for patients. A team of twelve experts, each with their own specialty, was formed to actively seek new ideas and solutions in the digital realm, working increasingly with young start-up companies.
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Collaboration with Leipzig Start-Up “DOCYET”
This is also the case with the newly developed COVID-19 bot. The eHealth start-up “DOCYET” was brought on board for this. The young company from Leipzig programs so-called “health guides” for medical service providers and health insurers. These are mobile health platforms that provide patients or insured individuals with personalized health information and offer quick assistance by allowing users to enter their symptoms via chat. Based on artificial intelligence, an automated bot provides an initial assessment and medical service options for the respective complaints.
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What the COVID-19 Chatbot Can Do–and What It Can’t
Choice Between Suspected Test and General Information
The new COVID-19 chatbot functions similarly. At the start, the automated chat robot asks about your personal concern. You can choose between the options “Suspected Test” and “Information on Coronavirus.” Then, you are guided step-by-step through the program with questions. To determine your personal infection risk, you must provide details such as acute symptoms, places you’ve visited in the last 14 days, and possible contact with infected individuals. Based on your answers, the bot creates a recommendation for you, ranging from advice to seek medical clarification to indicating that an infection is unlikely.
Even if the bot assumes you likely don’t have COVID-19, it offers further health assessments by providing additional information such as age, gender, and symptoms not typical for COVID-19. A similar tool was also introduced by Charité. The “CovApp” is designed to offer a preliminary test for suspected COVID-19 cases.
According to HIH, the information from the new chatbot is based on the latest scientific publications and the daily updated data from the Robert Koch Institute.
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COVID-19 Chatbot Should Not Replace Medical Diagnosis
It is always emphasized that the chatbot cannot replace a medical examination or lab test in case of doubt. The goal is not to obtain a reliable remote diagnosis. The automated chat partner is intended to provide an initial point of contact to better assess the situation and the acute risk of infection individually. However, if there are serious uncertainties and concerns, there should be no hesitation in contacting your family doctor, the health department, or the medical on-call service (nationwide at 116117) by phone and clarifying further steps if necessary.
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“Corona_digital” Provides Information on Telemedicine Offers
The HIH particularly emphasizes that telemedicine offers can be a tremendous opportunity during the COVID-19 crisis to minimize potential infection risks, such as in waiting rooms or during medical treatments. Therefore, in addition to the COVID-19 chatbot, many other telemedicine offers are listed on the website under the special section “Corona_digital”, which have already been certified by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and can now be used by doctors to ease the current situation for everyone involved. This includes a free daily newsletter that highlights digital solutions that can help slow, contain, and track the virus.
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