The advances and improvements in health care are causing individuals across the globe to live longer. Although this is irrefutably correct, people still require extra assistance as they age. In fact, as many of us reach old age, the hassles involving health services persist. According to the data gathered by NHS England from 2015, the amount of emergency and accident attendances, especially by individuals aged 60 years or above, between 2007/08 and 2013/14, rose by two-thirds.
With artificial intelligence becoming the number one craze in the technology space, many businesses or companies are directing their attention and resources towards adopting the new technology. For instance, in the United Kingdom, a company called Cera has embarked on using technology to deliver improved care services to the older people in society, particularly those who cannot go about their day-to-day life without assistance. Even so, such people will benefit significantly from expert care without leaving the comfort of their homes.
Ben Maruthappu, the chief executive officer of Cera, told Nadine Dereza of CNBC in an interview that the company utilizes digital technology to streamline the process of matching caregivers and patients. To do this, they consider several characteristics including the skill set of the care providers, whether the patients have pets or not, language, where they are located, the required type of care, and when they need care among others.
Maruthappu, who works as a doctor, elaborated that the data gathered by his company is analyzed using artificial intelligence (AI) in a bid to forecast whether a patient’s condition would deteriorate. As such, the analysis allows them to act upon the matter or get involved when a patient shows early signs of illnesses, for instance, urine infection. Therefore, patients receiving care from Cera are able to get the appropriate treatment on either the first or second day when their health starts worsening instead of day five or even six when the illness has fully manifested.
According to Maruthappu, dealing with the challenge of maintaining consistent and quality service becomes vital business grows. He added that Cera ensures patients get the desired services by recruiting the top 5-10% of individuals who apply to work for the business. By doing so, the company ensures that it only employs high-quality caregivers. Aside from getting people with the right skills, Cera also intends to continue relying on technology to make sure that users or customers get an awesome experience.
Maruthappu emphasized the capability of the company’s system by saying that it can predict a patient’s risk of deterioration and even the risk of being hospitalized. Hence, as the company grows bigger, it can easily assess those patients or customers who are low risk and those who are high risk in a bid to determine who requires more care services than the other. Additionally, the system allows the company to oversee certain matters like the arrival time of caregivers.
Source CNBC
