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Alexa will search NHS website to answer health questions

Amazon's Alexa virtual assistants
Amazon's Alexa virtual assistants Amazon's Alexa virtual assistants

AMAZON'S Alexa is set to answer health queries by searching the official NHS website. Until now, people asking Alexa a health question would be given an answer based on a variety of popular responses. But a new partnership with the NHS means Alexa will now give answers based on information from the health service website, which has been verified by health professionals.

The plan is to help patients, especially the elderly, blind and those who are unable to access the internet in other ways, take more control of their healthcare and help reduce the burden on the NHS.

The Royal College of GPs welcomed the move but said research must be carried out to ensure advice is safe.

The new partnership has been spearheaded by NHSX, which launched this month and aims to make health services available to patients via digital technology.

Amazon's algorithm will use information from the NHS website to provide answers to questions such as: "Alexa, how do I treat a migraine?", "Alexa, what are the symptoms of flu?" and "Alexa, what are the symptoms of chickenpox?"

"This idea is certainly interesting and it has the potential to help some patients work out what kind of care they need before considering whether to seek face-to-face medical help, especially for minor ailments that rarely need a GP appointment," Royal College of GPs chairwoman Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard said.

"However, it is vital that independent research is done to ensure that the advice given is safe, otherwise it could prevent people seeking proper medical help and create even more pressure on our overstretched GP service.

Jane Kirby (PA)