Internationale Partnersuche

Innovation & Technologie Angebot

Online medical diagnostic tool using automated video responses to all pertinent questions on a specialist medical topic

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Reference Number: TOUK20171127001
Publication Date: 27 November 2017

Summary

A UK company has developed an innovative online medical diagnostics platform which allows users to access medical information in an easier, quicker and intuitive way using video. Users ask questions on a medical topic and receive a video response from an expert. It offers medical practices and pharmaceutical companies a first stage diagnosis tool and improves confidence of purchasers. The company seeks partners for a commercial agreement with technical assistance, or joint venture.

Description

Traditional online diagnostic tools and medical information are generally presented to users in textual format. At the same time, studies have revealed that humans are able to process visual information 60,000 times faster than text. In addition to this, the growth of video online has been exponential and is expected to double to 1.5 billion by 2016. Video now accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic online. Video has been rated as more effective than other website media formats by an Adobe survey of more than 2000 interactive marketers.

In the medical arena, evidence from a US study suggests that users are more likely to seek medical help for serious conditions after watching contextual video content, as opposed to reading text.

This UK company has therefore developed an online video based advisory tool that presents a series of short but informative videos in response to their medical questions. The user can ask questions in a number of ways by either typing it in manually, selecting from a list of questions ordered according to the most popular questions or via voice. The platform will then present the most appropriate video to the question asked. 

The online video based system goes some way to humanising the process of making medical enquiries online and by using recognisable medical practitioners for the videos, can give contextual authority and reassurance to the user. 

The platform can be used in a number of ways by medical practitioners and health companies/pharmaceutical companies. For medical practices, there are opportunities to offer the initial diagnostic for a range of leading minor ailments that most frequently lead to GP consultation such as colds and flu, back pain, heartburn and indigestion, constipation, coughs and headaches to name a few. Online facilities could be made available from the practitioner website and could even be implemented as a form of triage prior to booking appointments online. Additionally, the tool could be made available in medical practice waiting rooms. 

For retailers of pharmaceutical and medical preparations the tool could be used to help potential customers make a decision about their product. It could help to clarify that the user is suffering from the condition for which the company has a medical product and then improve their confidence to buy the said product.  The use of video helps to convey the product concept to the consumer which can lead to improved conversion rates and longer dwell times on product websites. It also increases the level of trust in a brand because of human interaction rather than simply through marketing messaging.

The company seeks partners in the healthcare sectors, both healthcare providers for commercial agreements with technical assistance, and retailers of healthcare products for a joint venture.

Advantages and Innovations

There are other online platforms for medical consulting but to the best of our knowledge, this is one of very few to offer a combination of these advantages and innovations:

•	Smart technology that learns optimal responses, honing the virtual interactive user experience

•	The platform can be fully customised and branded and dispense OTC (Over the Counter) product voucher codes

•	Queries can be entered by text, pre-selected questions or via voice using voice recognition

•	A simple, easy to navigate user interface where all video is shown above the fold making it easier for the user to get the information they require quickly and to feel more like they are having a virtual consultation

Stage Of Development

Already on the market

Requested partner

The company seeks partners in two areas: 

a)	Medical practitioners and healthcare providers

b)	Suppliers of medical products/pharmaceutical companies



The company seeks a commercial agreement with technical assistance with the former, providing tailoring to specific needs, and related training and support.

The latter are sought for joint venture agreements. It is likely that their customers have specialised needs which are better met under a joint customisation project.