Bariatric Surgery Program Receives Chatbot Funding to Improve Patient Experience
The Meaningful Use Committee has approved funding for University of Utah’s Bariatric Surgery program to implement an innovative chatbot program, inspired by the success in orthopedics, to support and enhance patient experiences.
Bariatric surgery is a common procedure used in weight management that requires months of preoperative and postoperative care. Patients spend months in a multi-disciplinary program preparing, and then continue with additional support after the surgery to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This process requires constant communication with clinical staff to ensure patients understand each step of the procedure.
However, the volume of patient questions often exceeds the clinical staff’s capacity to respond efficiently. The Bariatric Surgery program recognized the necessity for a solution but had to identify an effective option that would cater to the requirements of their patients.
After observing U of U Health’s orthopedics program successfully improve patient satisfaction by implementing a chatbot service, the Bariatric Surgery program pursued the same option. Given the similarities of the procedures involved in both areas, patient solutions can often be adapted between programs, giving the bariatric team a clear understanding of what might work in their program.
The Meaningful Use Committee fully endorsed the idea and granted the necessary funding to support the program for one to two years.
With the help of committee funding, the new chatbot program aims to revolutionize communication, providing tailored scripts for preoperative and postoperative guidance. This forward-thinking approach not only addresses challenges in patient education but also positions the program for potential manuscripts regarding implementation and outcomes of this project in journals such as Obesity Surgery.
In collaboration with StreaMD, the Bariatric Surgery program will be able to implement the service to provide timely and effective responses to common questions, resulting in a more efficient process for both clinic staff and patients.