Strengthening Last Mile Health Education Using Amazon Alexa-Enabled Devices: A Preliminary Case Study

This paper presents a preliminary case study on the design of an Amazon Alexa-based system, termed “AI Strengthening Healthcare Access” (AISHA). AISHA leverages voice-activated artificial intelligence to enhance healthcare accessibility in Sierra Leone. This article explores the design of the AISHA system in a healthcare setting, emphasizing its potential integration within hospitals and peripheral health units. Key features of the AISHA system include four use cases: AISHA Answers, Lessons, Patient Tracker, and Medication Tracker. These use cases aim to provide healthcare workers and patients with easy access to updated healthcare information while creating a new channel of health dissemination. This preliminary case study recounts AISHA's performance in periurban Sierra Leone and underscores the potential of Conversational AI for transforming healthcare delivery, highlighting both the benefits and challenges of such implementations.