Elizabeth, the Virtual Nurse

Most patients want to go home after being hospitalized. They easily ignore the medications and avoid the follow-up visits which are vital to them. According to Timothy Bickmore, a Computer Scientist, about 20 percent of patients who are discharged from the hospital are readmitted within thirty days, and those readmissions are avoidable. Only 8 minute-conversation happened between a nurse and a patient to be discharged.

The virtual nurse with an animator and a 3-D model will make all of the animation segments delivered like a real nurse. This became possible when Bickmore recorded the discussion of several doctors and nurses. The discussion was combined with gesture of an animated character. Also, a little social chat and humor were included in the animator which built the connection. The animator named Elizabeth was installed in a touch screen computer which can be brought to the patient's bed. Patient's discharge instructions were already programmed. The fifteen-hundred most commonly prescribed medications and quizzes to patients can be performed by Elizabeth. If the patient heard a wrong answer or if he has a question, Elizabeth will not answer and an alert will be sent to the real nurse. [via abclocal.go.com]