Mediktor and Confederacion ASPACE: A Collaborative Effort Towards More Inclusive Digital Assistance

Over 1.3 billion people experience a significant disability worldwide, representing 16% of the global population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), individuals with disabilities are at a higher risk of developing other conditions like depression, asthma, diabetes, stroke, obesity, or those derived from poor oral health. This means 1 in 6 people on the planet not only has to deal with bias, discrimination, and physical restrictions but also has a higher likelihood of suffering the consequences of an incompatible healthcare system.

Unassisted and unequal access to healthcare is a problem that affects everyone, but it disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable populations. Since its inception, Mediktor has been committed to enhancing the patient experience for all. In 2023, Mediktor’s medical team took on the task of adapting the AI medical chatbot to intellectual, physical, and sensory disabilities. This was a significant milestone for the company, and as a result, Mediktor’s AI now provides more personalized assistance to a wider range of patients.

Mediktor is committed to providing reliable and safe information online. As part of this commitment, the company reviews its medical database with experts from various fields. Mediktor collaborated with Confederación ASPACE, an organization that shares values of equal access to healthcare and social well-being. Confederación ASPACE particularly focuses on enhancing the quality of life of individuals affected by cerebral palsy, a multiple disability condition affecting around 17 million people worldwide, with over 80% requiring intellectual, sensorial, physical, or communicational support. This review has been key in enhancing the assessment of individuals with disabilities and also means a vote of confidence from proficient specialists to Mediktor’s AI.

Content review enhancements

Thanks to this collaboration, Mediktor’s symptom evaluation has gone under valuable adaptations throughout the content review.

• Database update: Mediktor’s AI added new disability-related terminology to the medical database. This way, the evaluation has a broader range of possibilities when responding to people’s assessments.
• Personalized profile: Users can now indicate their disability condition through new profile categories. The algorithm will use this information to adapt the questions, results, and recommendations.
• Assistive devices category: Mediktor now counts with a section where users can specify if they receive support from any assistive device due to their disability. This information is highly relevant in a medical context and provides valuable additional background.
• Blocking system: Through this update, Mediktor’s algorithm blocks irrelevant questions to the patients according to what they have previously indicated. Now, the evaluation avoids asking for data that may not be significant for users with disabilities.

Bridging the Gap

Technology can help bridge the gap for individuals with disabilities through inclusive digital health. This collaboration is a step forward to improving the quality of life for everyone, regardless of their physical, intellectual, or sensory conditions. 

“AI is one of the technologies that has grown the most in recent years. However, most AI solutions do not feature people with disabilities, affecting the collective”, expressed Patricia García Novillo, Occupational Therapist-Innovation and Technology Manager at Confederacion ASPACE.

By joining hands, technology companies and social associations can produce groundbreaking solutions that can benefit society in countless ways. This collaboration represents a new era of inclusion and progress.

This project has been supervised and approved by Patricia García Novillo, Head of Innovation and Technology.