What You Need to Know:
– In a new collaboration between First Databank and Amazon, consumers will have access to a wide variety of FDB’s drug information through simple queries via Alexa, Amazon’s cloud-based voice service.
– A subset of FDB’s drug information, trusted for more than 40 years by healthcare professionals, can now be accessed by consumers from any Alexa-enabled device.
– The Amazon Alexa integration provides custom content that allows consumers to ask about a drug’s effects such as drug interactions, side effects, precautions, and the drug’s class.
In a new collaboration between First Databank and Amazon, consumers will have access to a wide variety of FDB’s drug information through simple queries via Alexa, Amazon’s cloud-based voice service. As part of the integration, Amazon will be able to deliver valuable medication information from FDB—about drug side effects, uses, and more—to consumers who pose their questions to Alexa from the comfort of their homes. This marks the first time that consumers will have instant access to this breadth and depth of drug information via a voice-enabled service—and it’s another sign of the times as tech giants continue to forge partnerships with health IT companies to better respond to today’s consumer-driven healthcare market.
Specialized Answers about Medication Information
This initiative will leverage concise, clinical drug information authored specifically for Alexa by FDB clinicians, based on their review of the most relevant content from the company’s proprietary consumer drug information monographs. Additionally, the project provides custom content that allows consumers to ask about a drug’s effects such as drug interactions, side effects, precautions, and the drug’s class. The custom data file will provide information for Alexa customers in both English and Spanish and will be updated on a regular basis.
Alexa Common Medication-Related Queries
Some common medication-related queries that Alexa will now answer for consumers by tapping into FDB drug knowledge include:
– “Alexa, what type of drug is ibuprofen?”
– “Alexa, what are the side effects of sertraline?”
– “Alexa, what is aspirin used for?
– “Alexa, does Zoloft interact with Aleve?”
– “Alexa, is Advil safe for pregnant women?
– “Alexa, what’s the difference between Tylenol and Advil?
Impact of Partnership Between FDB and Amazon
“We are thrilled to be working closely with Amazon on this unique consumer use of our drug knowledge,” said Bob Katter, president, FDB. “We are proud to bring this essential component of our drug databases directly to consumers through Amazon’s now-ubiquitous and helpful voice-activated technology.”
Katter added: “People lead busy lives and voice provides a simple way to get helpful information about medications including side effects and drug interactions – for themselves and the people they care for – and this information will complement advice from their medical and pharmacy teams. Ultimately, we believe that more informed consumers will lead to improved medication adherence, the reduction of adverse drug events, and better patient outcomes.”
