Alexa has earned its PhD in first aid

Alexa, Amazon’s voice-activated digital assistant, has learned how to dispense first aid information in the event of a medical emergency from Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic.

Moving past answering questions about the newest restaurant in town, Mayo Clinic has enabled Alexa to tell users first aid practices in the event of an emergency with their free Mayo Clinic First Aid program. The hands-free instructions describe specific instructions for users to follow, aiming to improve outcomes.

“We provide health information in a print newsletter, digital newsletter, desktop web, mobile web, Mayo Clinic app. We view this voice interface, specifically the Amazon Alexa application, as basically a new channel to provide that information,” said Jay Maxwell, a senior director in health information with the Mayo Clinic Global Business Solutions, which developed Mayo Clinic First Aid.

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Cara Livernois, News Writer

Cara joined TriMed Media in 2016 and is currently a Senior Writer for Clinical Innovation & Technology. Originating from Detroit, Michigan, she holds a Bachelors in Health Communications from Grand Valley State University.

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