Microsoft, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), and the UK health informatics firm Servelec have hailed EBO.ai for empowering caregivers, staff, and patients, describing the impact of the Maltese company’s technology on overburdened systems as “magic”.

During a webinar detailing the benefits of the Rio Virtual Assistant, developed by EBO.ai and integrated with Servelec’s electronic patient system, the potential to improve the wellbeing of staff by reducing fatigue caused by "laborious, antiquated processes" was discussed.

Director of the Health Industry Sector at Microsoft Ruthy Kaidar explained that EBO.ai is a trusted partner of the software giant.

“They empower the caregivers, they empower the administrative staff, and they empower the patients,” she said.

“They empower them to have their information more accessible, more visual.”

She further pointed out that 84 per cent of healthcare executives believe AI will revolutionise the way people obtain information in the sector.

EBO Product Director John Deguara said the company is trying to ensure that the conversation between the virtual agent and the client is a natural one.

“That is something we constantly work on with our virtual agents,” he said, noting that the virtual agents are capable of answering frequently asked questions, dynamically linking to the RIO database, and linking up with the back office.

Mr Deguara also pointed out that each conversation is fully auditable and a full copy of each one is provided to the back office.

Asked how easy it is to implement, Mr Deguara said it only takes “a couple of hours” to train staff in its use, adding that “within a few weeks, they are telling us how to use it, and telling us how to improve it”.

Speaking at the webinar, EBO.ai CEO Gege Gatt said, “We see that patient portals tend to be rigid, form based, but we live in a culture which is more free flowing, more conversational.”

“We think that hospitals need to get closer to the culture we see in society.”

“Patient portals by nature operate in a single channel – but it’s 2021 and we live in an omni-channel world. That’s why this solution is equally accessible on Facebook, WhatsApp, Teams, and more.”

Mr Gatt explained that AI “should not be about fancy digital transformation or lofty ideas. It should be about today’s needs. It should be about the business value we could bring in the next three months.”

He said the company sees “a huge opportunity in the back office challenge around appointment management,” noting that this is something companies can solve now.

“AI is about real time communication,” he said. “If a hundred appointments are cancelled now, we want the patients to know now, and we want a hundred conversations to start now about rebooking them.”

“If we have a gap that became available now, we want a smart clinic management solution, through AI, which can fill that gap so as to optimise the delivery of care.”

He explained that the fear of AI is misplaced, because it is here to augment and not replace human agency.

“The idea of augmentation,” he said, “means is that there are so many repetitive processes that are costly and slow, and they are linear.”

“So there is no reason for them to burnt out human energy, so that health staff can focus on what really matters, and often, that’s saving lives.”