Can virtual assistants make healthcare more human? Startups create voice tech for doctors and patients

Peek into a random hospital room in the U.S. today, and you might see something that makes you cynical about technology. The classic scene is of a provider talking with a patient as they face the opposite direction and take detailed notes on a computer.

In other words, the patient’s only face-time with their doctor is spent staring at the back of his or her neck.

Beyond the loss of human interaction, the long hours spent entering these notes at the end of the day have placed a well-documented burden on clinicians, leading to elevated rates of burnout, depression and suicide.