My Children’s Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Alexa Skill

Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) has long believed that voice technology will revolutionize care delivery for both patients and clinicians, developing one of the first Alexa skills from a healthcare organization back in 2016. Whether supporting patient education and care management at home or easing the administrative burden of documentation for clinicians, voice technology has improved care delivery in a variety of ways. As a hospital, we’ve specifically created voice skills aimed at driving clinical efficiencies, fostering compliance, and improving patient engagement.  

As part of Amazon Alexa’s invite-only HIPAA-eligible environment for skills, Boston Children’s has developed a new Alexa skill designed to support patient discharge after surgery – one component the hospital’s larger Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program. The My Children’s ERAS skill will first be available to parents and caregivers of children that have undergone cardiac surgery. It allows parents and caregivers to conduct remote check-ins through Alexa, providing care teams with updates on their child’s recovery progress, including activity level, appetite, and pain management. Parents and caregivers can also use the skill to access information regarding the child’s upcoming post-op appointments. Simply say, “Alexa, open My Children’s” to get started.

Ultimately, the goal is to support our broader patient population in a very robust and integrated way between their visits at the hospital. Voice is one important medium through which we can do this – and we look forward to expanding these capabilities in the coming months.

For more information, please contact John.Brownstein@childrens.harvard.edu.