Super Oz computer to quiz Qld diabetes patients
A talking super-computer is to be used in Brisbane to help treat diabetes patients through giving advice on diet, exercise and medication as well as compiling information on their general condition.
The computer system will use a mix of male and female voices and will be trialed on 340 adults to assist Type 2 diabetes patients. It will quiz the patients over the phone on their takeaway food intake, amount of exercise, and the number of blood-sugar level tests they have taken.
Patients will send their blood sugar results to the computer via SMS and it will tell them what is needed to improve their health. A follow-up warning alert will be sent to the patient’s doctor if there are signs of health conditions which require urgent medical attention.
More than 1.5 million Australians have Type 2 diabetes with half of the people being undiagnosed. The disease has doubled since 1996 and health experts estimate that more than 3.3 million Australians will suffer from diabetes by 2031.
The aim of the trial is to see if people will respond to coaching from a computer and if they will change their behaviour as they would after contact with a human counselor or coach.
