WhatsApp isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you say healthcare, but it's increasingly getting important.
Today, the world is facing a growing physician shortage, with a shortfall of 10 million healthcare workers by 2030. This comes at a time when healthcare workers are overworked and are increasing demand for a more equitable healthcare system.
Despite the finite nature of healthcare resources, mobile medicine has forged a new and more flexible path for remote healthcare delivery. And WhatsApp plays a major role in this.
WhatsApp is one of the fastest and most convenient ways to receive information. Patients can now receive medical advice, diagnosis, disease management and treatment in the comfort of their homes, increasing their access to care and eliminating physical barriers created by hospital capacity, distance or transportation.
WhatsApp for healthcare is still relatively new, but there are many ways to provide patients with the information they need. All on the platform we spend so much time every single day.
This guide will walk you through several use cases of WhatsApp for healthcare and how you can set it up for your healthcare services.
WhatsApp for Healthcare: The Problem
Despite considerable advancements, the healthcare industry remains entangled in major challenges that affect the larger mission of prioritizing patient care and enhancing treatment experiences.
- Staff shortages: One of the pressing challenges facing the healthcare industry today is staff shortage. The ramifications of this shortage are far-reaching and set to worsen as the global population of the world ages. Estimates indicate that the number of people aged 65 and older will more than double, growing from about 7 million today to 1.5 billion by 2050.
- Employee burnout: Staff shortages result in longer shifts and heightened mental strain for health workers, resulting in employee burnout. Alarmingly, 60-70% of healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses, report symptoms of depression, exhaustion and sleep disorders. This widespread employee burnout has substantial repercussions, costing the US healthcare system around $4.6 billion annually.
- Huge volume of backend tasks: The growth of administrative tasks in healthcare is astonishing. Between 1975 and 2010, while the number of doctors increased by 150%, the number of administrators saw an exponential rise of 3200%. This disproportionate growth highlights the increasingly burdening of the healthcare system with administrative requirements.
- Too Little Patient/Doctor Time: According to Medscape, half of the doctors spend less than 16 minutes with each patient. This issue is intricately linked to the staff shortage and physicians being overwhelmed by administrative tasks, leaving them with insufficient time for their patients. This trend of rushed interaction between doctors and patients is not new and is worsening over the years.
The Rise of Telehealth – The solution
As the digitization of healthcare continues, telemedicine is poised to maintain a pivotal role in healthcare delivery. Telemedicine and in-person care are not mutually exclusive, and uniting both can help reduce costs, expand access and improve care for everyone.
The adoption of telemedicine has remained strong across all physician ages, beginning with training and extending to retirement.
Physicians in specialities that manage a significant number of patients with chronic illnesses continue to show some of the highest adoption rates of telemedicine. Among all physicians surveyed, over 83% of them confirmed they found telemedicine useful in enhancing continuity of care for patients with complex or chronic diseases, and nearly two-thirds (65%) said telemedicine improved communication with their patients.
As physicians lean into digital, they’re embracing multiple telemedicine modalities, with video emerging as one of physician’s top priorities. Audio-only phone visits are also widely employed, demonstrating the need for telemedicine tools that are versatile and adaptable to patients’ needs.
How WhatsApp fits into the telehealth landscape
Whatsapp has dramatically evolved from a mere mobile application to one of the most popular marketing platforms. It has almost 3 billion users across 180 countries, and its user base is only growing.
Whatsapp appeal isn’t limited to specific demographics; it hits across all age groups. Focusing on generational usage, millennials lead the pack, making up 54% of Whatsapp users, as reported by FinancesOnline. They’re followed by Gen Z at 51%, Gen X at 48%, and Baby Boomers, who represent 36% of the user base.
According to a research article published by the Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, the requirement for in-person appointments at least once a week has decreased due to WhatsApp. Another WHO research says that Whatsapp is the most popular platform used for telemedicine, accounting for 40% of telemedicine consultations.
Reports from Mailchimp show that businesses are now switching to WhatsApp as their primary source of communication since it has an open rate of just 21.33%, which is a whopping 98% in WhatsApp. That means every message sent on WhatsApp is read. This makes it easier for healthcare professionals to reach patients quickly and deliver appointment information like appointment booking, medication reminders, and regular patient communication.
A peek into the automation capabilities of WhatsApp for healthcare
Advancements in healthcare communications technology have empowered patients in many new ways. The majority (55%) of healthcare consumers consider these communications so essential that they are willing to change providers in order to get what kind of service they prefer.
That's where WhatsApp Business API comes in handy. Launched specifically for medium to large companies, this powerful tool enables businesses to communicate with multiple customers at scale. With automated replies, interactive messages, and chatbots, the sales team can create a customized communication flow that caters to customer's needs.
The WhatsApp Business API improves your sales efforts because it allows you to:
- Automate WhatsApp messages at scale: Healthcare professionals can send quick responses, appointment reminders and health updates to their patients at scale. Patients can use WhatsApp to ask questions or seek clarification about their medication.
- Create a targeted customer experience: WhatsApp Business API allows the segmentation of healthcare patients into age groups, health concerns and communication frequency to resonate with different funnel content. You can tailor healthcare awareness updates with preset templates with WhatsApp's 60+ language repository.
- Upgrade post-purchase customer experience: For many users, post-purchase is the hallmark of customer satisfaction. WhatsApp API lets you coordinate and regularize health updates, appointment reminders, and notifications by seamlessly sending them directly to the customer's chatbot.
Understanding the distinction between the basic WhatsApp Business option and the more robust WhatsApp Business API is essential.
And you don't need to spend weeks getting this rolling. We will walk you through setting up your WhatsApp Business API trial account using Gallabox in five easy steps.
- Enter your details to sign up for the free trial on gallabox.com.
- Invite your team and adapt to the roles and access levels to ensure everyone can collaborate effectively.
- Importing data is easier with Gallabox, which lets you import contacts individually or in bulk from tools such as Google Sheets, CRMs, or other third-party software.
- Now that your team and contacts are set, you can create WhatsApp Chatbots, Drip Marketing campaigns, or even WhatsApp Flows.
- Gallabox integrates seamlessly with your tech stack—whether it's your CRM, e-commerce platform, payment processor, or marketing tools—bringing everything under one roof.
Now that you've easily set up the WhatsApp Business API with Gallabox, let's see how you can make the best use of this for your health team.
Benefits of using Whatsapp in healthcare
WhatsApp’s intuitive interface and cross-platform availability have made staying connected effortless.
From streamlining appointments and medication reminders to facilitating convenient doctor-patient conversations, Whatsapp is revolutionizing healthcare delivery through its simple yet powerful features.
Here are some of the benefits of using WhatsApp in healthcare:
- Improved Communication and Accessibility
WhatsApp has revolutionized how doctors interact with their patients.
Prior to digital communication, 66% of patients reported that basic and transactional communication exchanges with their providers fell short of meeting their expectations. Among frustrated patients, 79% described their frustration as “moderate” or “extreme,” highlighting the intensity of dissatisfaction.
With WhatsApp, there are no more endless phone calls, wait times or missed opportunities. Patients can simply send a text message and receive prompt responses from healthcare providers. Doctors can perform remote consultations, diagnose illnesses and even prescribe medications via voice and video conferences.
This not only provides patients with convenience but also extends access to quality healthcare for those living in distant places or with restricted mobility.
- Reduced operational costs
Another benefit of automation on WhatsApp is reduced operational costs. Traditional methods of communication, such as phone calls or letters, can be costly for healthcare providers. Whatsapp, on the other hand, offers a cost-effective alternative, reducing expenses associated with paper, phone bills, and postage.
According to an analysis from the NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association, telehealth services facilitate savings of $5,718 in travel expenses and cost savings of $20,841 for hospitals. Still, that figure could exceed $100,000 for some rural hospitals.
Whatsapp chatbots can handle frequently asked questions, centralize appointment management and conduct remote consultations that can reduce the need for manual intervention and improve the efficiency of their communication processes. This can help organizations save time and money, which can be reinvested in patient care and other important initiatives.
- Real-time Monitoring and Support
For individuals with chronic diseases, routine health monitoring is crucial to their health and well-being. By getting updates on symptoms, vital signs or other patient information, WhatsApp enables healthcare practitioners to remotely monitor their patients.
Through real-time monitoring, prompt treatment plan modifications are possible, patient outcomes are improved, and hospital readmissions are decreased.
For patients, this means they have continuous access to their healthcare professionals for support or guidance. Healthcare organizations can use automation on WhatsApp to send educational resources to patients. These resources can include lab test reports, diagnoses, and health-related topics that are crucial for a patient to know.
Automated reminders and personalized communications improve medication adherence, leading to better health outcomes.
- Efficient Medication Management
Gone are the days when misplaced prescriptions and confusion interrupted at the pharmacy. Whatsapp allows healthcare professionals to share their prescription information with their healthcare provider securely. This eliminates the need for remembering medication or needing physical copies.
In addition to providing digital prescriptions, patients can also request their doctors to set up medication reminders to ensure they take their medicines on time. These reminders can be customized according to the patient’s schedule and preferences.
You can also seamlessly pay your medical bills right from your Whatsapp account. Whatsapp Pay helps you connect your Whatsapp account with your UPI account. This way, you can keep track of all the payments made to the hospitals without having to search through your payment history.
Use cases of Whatsapp in Healthcare
The nature of the healthcare industry means that the provider regularly interacts with patients from all walks of life across a wide range of ages, incomes and backgrounds. Being able to communicate consistently and accurately with patients via digital channels like Whatsapp helps messages get conveyed as quickly, accurately and consistently.
Here are our top Whatsapp use cases in healthcare that will assist you in organizing your communication with your patients at scale:
- Appointment scheduling and reminders
The demand for convenient communication is a high priority in patient-provider interactions. The number speaks for themselves–80% of patients prefer digital channels such as texts, emails or patient portals when it comes to appointment reminders and follow-ups.
Hospitals nearly lose $150 million annually due to missed opportunities. To minimize this cost, doctors need a popular messaging platform like WhatsApp. Healthcare centres can automate appointment scheduling by enabling patients to book, reschedule or cancel appointments through a WhatsApp chatbot.
Some of its key features are:
- Automated reminders: Whatsapp chatbots can send automated reminders to patients about their upcoming appointments and reduce no-show rates. For instance, a reminder message can be sent 24 hours before the appointment, ensuring patients are prepared.
- 24/7 availability: Patients can make appointments with the Whatsapp chatbot at any time, even outside of typical business hours.
- Rescheduling and cancellations: WhatsApp chatbot makes it easier for patients to reschedule or cancel appointments, which reduces unnecessary administrative burden.
Research shows that 92% of their healthcare providers send them personalized reminders and messages. Your Whatsapp chatbot can send a personalized reminder for an upcoming appointment, including patient health goals, date, time, and location speaks volumes about a provider’s commitment to well-being.
- Disseminate health awareness messages
WhatsApp caters to a global audience of billions of people and is also a breeding ground for fake news. During public health crises or emergencies, it's crucial to share accurate information to keep communities safe. WhatsApp is a helpful tool for healthcare authorities to send out public health updates, advisories, and guidelines to a wide audience.
For instance, the WHO broke the ice for WhatsApp in healthcare by launching the WHO Health Alert on WhatsApp during the coronavirus pandemic. Many countries took advantage of the service to answer questions and share information about the disease as well as pandemic regulations.
Moreover, the Whatsapp interactive chatbot allows recipients of health awareness messages to engage in discussion, seek clarifications or ask questions. Messages can also be tailored to address specific health issues or target specific demographic groups, ensuring the information reaches the intended audience effectively. This reduces the risk of fake news and encourages individuals to participate in health-related conversations.
- Conduct remote consultations
As a sustainable care delivery model, virtual health is taking patient outcomes and cost savings to a higher level. They’re also setting the stage for a future where today’s crowded waiting rooms are yesterday's healthcare.
A McKinsey report found that 60% of patients find remote consultations more convenient than in-person health appointments. The majority of clinicians also believe that they deliver more effective treatments and follow-ups via virtual consultations.
Whatsapp helps doctors and patients connect in healthcare. Doctors can take remote consultations using WhatsApp by sending messages, voice notes, or even doing audio or video calls. Patients can share symptoms and medical history with their doctors to receive diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
This is helpful when patients cannot physically visit a doctor or when it's not an emergency. Using WhatsApp for remote consultations makes healthcare easier and more accessible for everyone.
- Medication and treatment reminders
Adherence to prescribed medications is crucial to combating diseases. However, their full benefit is often not realized because patients do not take their medications.
The top reason for medication non-adherence is forgetfulness. They found that out of 600,000 patients, 39% simply forgot to take their meds, 20% did not renew scripts on time and 10% put off refills, resulting in multiple missed doses. Over 125,000 premature deaths happen every year caused by medication non-adherence.
Doctors or healthcare providers can set up automated medication reminders through WhatsApp. They can send timely reminders to patients, specifying their medication name, dosage and frequency. These messages can be scheduled according to the patient's medication regimen to help them take their medicine on time.
Patients can also use WhatsApp to seek clarification about their medication. This two-way communication facilitates better medication management and improved patient adherence.
- Handling payments
Beyond chats and calls, Whatsapp has recently launched Whatsapp payments that allow you to send and receive payments and make bill payments all within the Whatsapp app. Money is directly transferred between bank accounts. Its simple interface ensures anyone can use it without any learning curves.
This groundbreaking feature revolutionizes healthcare transactions, offering patients a frictionless way to settle appointment fees, bills and more, all within the confines of a similar messaging interface.
All transactions on WhatsappPay are end-to-end encrypted, which means only the sender and receiver can access the transactional details. This makes it difficult for hackers or unauthorized parties to access the transactional data.
From booking appointments to making payments, you can do everything on WhatsApp. This results in enhanced customer experience- an aspect that's an important part of delivering quality healthcare.
- Personalized patient communication
Communication plays a crucial role in effective patient engagement. Personalization makes that communication more impactful, leading to better engagement and outcomes. Beyond just addressing patients by name, WhatsApp can personalize communication with tailored messaging.
Consider the following example to understand this better:
Sarah, a 42-year-old programmer with pre-diabetes and a nut allergy, works from home and leads a sedentary lifestyle. She enjoys short walks with her dog but feels discouraged by generic health emails from her doctor’s office.
Now, imagine a personalized approach. Sarah receives tailored advice on her favourite communication channel (Whatsapp), including nut-free meal plans and short exercise videos like “10-minute workout with your dog.”
Periodic follow-up calls, scheduled at her convenience, provide motivation and feedback. She can also book appointments, take remote consultations, get test results and pay bills right through her Whatsapp account.
This customized support from WhatsApp makes the advice more relevant and actionable, empowering patients to take charge of their health.
For instance, ITEES Eye Hospital automated post-appointment interactions with patients by using the Gallabox WhatsApp chatbot. Personalized patient interactions, booking reminders and confirmations helped the hospital boost patient interactions and free up front-desk employees.
- Test results delivery
Patients should know the results of any medical tests they’ve undergone promptly, yet the failure to communicate the information is among the reasons some patients received delayed diagnosis and treatment.
When abnormal tests are not correctly reported, the consequences to patients can be severe–even fatal. Plus, patients can be put in the position of trying to interpret lab results themselves. This can happen when they receive their test reports online but without communication from the healthcare staff on what the results mean. This can enhance a patient’s anxiety about their health status and misinterpret what the results mean.
However, WhatsApp fastens the process of delivering test results to patients securely. Doctors can send important information, such as lab results, treatment updates and diagnostic imaging results, directly to a patient's WhatsApp account.
Doctors can send visual aids, charts and educational material to provide clear explanations and clarifications regarding patients’ health updates and test results. Patients can also ask questions and seek clarification to avoid any confusion, all through their WhatsApp accounts.
Best Practices for WhatsApp Marketing in Healthcare
The healthcare industry is undergoing a digital transformation, and using WhatsApp for healthcare is one of them. These AI-powered chatbots are changing how patients interact with healthcare professionals, offering quick and personalised communication.
To efficiently manage chatbot interactions and ensure quick patient data collection, consider these best practices:
- Ensure compliance with privacy laws and regulations
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) governs patient data in the US, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) governs it for the European community.
A study shows that the biggest obstacle to using WhatsApp for healthcare for patient data is its inability to keep information entirely confidential since anyone can use a smartphone.
Healthcare professionals should adhere to the rules and explain the entire purpose of using WhatsApp for communication, how privacy policy will be maintained, and the risks involved.
A written consent must be obtained from patients. The patient should be given the liberty to opt in and out at any given time.
- Maintaining a professional and empathetic tone
When using WhatsApp for patient communication, switching from a professional outlook to an informal one is easy.
As a professional, keep your language and tone informative and supportive. Try using voice or video call features to deliver sensitive information to maintain HIPAA guidelines.
Avoid spamming and over-messaging your patients, which can frustrate the patient. To ensure you don't violate pateient's privacy or send patients the wrong message, it's advisable to use message templates to keep a professional tone.
- Responding to customer queries promptly
The biggest reason for using WhatsApp for healthcare is quick communication. The healthcare industry demands quick responses in an attempt to prove that you care.
Healthcare professionals can automate this communication by setting up chatbots with pre-existing questionnaires and answers to reply to patients immediately—for instance, doctor's timings, appointment details, medication reminders, etc.
Assign a staff member to answer queries that chatbots couldn't answer and improve customer experience.
How to set up WhatsApp for healthcare services?
Gallabox is a top WhatsApp Business Service Provider (BSP) that enables businesses to send unlimited bulk WhatsApp messages to contacts instantly.
By leveraging Gallabox's advanced features, you can create customized broadcast lists, segment customers, and even send personalized messages.
Using the WhatsApp Business API, businesses can automate broadcasts, track delivery statuses, and manage all communications seamlessly in one place.
Step 1: To begin, head over to "Broadcast" on the left navigation. If you manage multiple channels, no worries. Just pick the one you want to use for this broadcast.
Step 2: Click the "New Broadcast" button at the top right corner to start creating your bulk campaign. You can either choose an approved WhatsApp Template that you have previously created or craft a brand new template by clicking "New Template" at the top right corner.
Step 3: To get the best results, you can also segment your contacts based on their interests or purchase history. Once a segment is created with certain criteria, any new contacts that match these criteria will automatically be added to the segment.
To create a segment, click the new segment button in the top right corner. A popup will appear, and you can add various filters to create your segment for better understanding.
Step 4: Now, we will create a segment by filtering contacts mapped to a specific contact owner. Once you see your filtered list, give your segment a clear and descriptive name for easy reference. Later, click the “Create Group” button to finalize your segment.
Step 5: Click view count next to any segment to see how many contacts belong to that group and are ready to send a broadcast. Simply check the box next to the segments you want to target, and you can choose one or multiple segments for a truly personalized campaign.
Step 6: After selecting your audience and clicking continue, you'll see a popup.
If you've used any variables to personalize your message, this step involves mapping variables in your WhatsApp template and adding media like images or videos.
Step 7: Similar to the variable data, you can also upload or map media files and add a payload to the template.
If required, click on learn more to understand the payload better. Click confirm. Once you've added the variables, you can rename your broadcast, but by default, we fill it with the current date and time. Choose when to send your message immediately or schedule it for a later time to optimize engagement.
Step 8: Under target audience, you'll see the total number of contacts you're broadcasting to. If you're sending a marketing template message, make sure to toggle on sending the message to contacts who opted in for marketing.
This honours your customer's consent, helps avoid getting blocked, and maintains your account's quality rating.
On the right side, you'll see a preview of how your message will look for the first 20 recipients who want to manage replies differently or automate them, use the broadcast reply settings to assign incoming messages with respect to this broadcast to a team, a specific user or a bot for efficient handling.
Step 9: Once you're happy with everything, click the big send broadcast button to deliver those messages to your broadcast.
WhatsApp Business for Healthcare: Final Thoughts
The integration of WhatsApp into Healthcare represents a significant shift in patient engagement and communication. Healthcare providers can harness a diverse range of use cases offered by WhatsApp to create an ultimate patient-centric healthcare experience.
Managing such diverse use cases on your own might feel tiring and troublesome; that’s where Gallabox steps in.
Gallabox makes it possible to integrate Whatsapp API with your favourite tools, manage patients' contacts and streamline bulk messaging, allowing health professionals to focus on their prime objective – patient care.
In addition to WhatsApp messaging, Gallabox also provides excellent WhatsApp workspace and no-code chatbot solutions. So don’t wait; sign up now to get a free trial.
FAQs
- Can WhatsApp be used for telehealth?
According to a recent study by the World Health Organisation, Whatsapp is one of the most popular messaging platforms for telemedicine. According to a research article published by the Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, the requirement for in-person appointments at least once a week has decreased due to WhatsApp.
- Can I sell medicine on WhatsApp?
Pharmacies are not permitted to sell pharmaceuticals or medical devices on WhatsApp but can offer medical services, such as vaccine administration and medical testing.
- Is WhatsApp secure for sharing medical information?
WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption, but healthcare providers should ensure compliance with local privacy laws when sharing sensitive health information.
