Addressing HIMSS23: Strategies for Healthcare Organizations to Optimally Address Workforce Support Needs
In the recent HIMSS23 conference, healthcare leaders gathered to discuss the solutions they're employing to support their workforce and share lessons from their journeys. The consensus is clear: a strategic, multi-faceted approach centered on technology integration, workforce empowerment, and tailored implementation is key to prioritizing and understanding the needs for digital solutions to mitigate workforce shortages.
One of the critical steps in this approach is to assess the workforce gaps and define priorities. Recognizing critical shortages, particularly in primary care and nursing, and understanding how these impact patient care and service delivery is essential. By prioritizing areas where digital tools can reduce administrative burdens, improve scheduling, and enhance care coordination, healthcare systems can alleviate staff pressure rather than merely replace human resources.
Leveraging workforce management technologies is another key aspect of this strategy. The adoption of AI, machine learning, and digital workforce management platforms can support clinician scheduling, reduce burnout, and improve resource optimization. Predictive analytics for flexible scheduling and labor pool management enhances workforce resilience and operational efficiency.
Integrating virtual care solutions is another crucial element. Virtual nursing and telehealth capabilities can extend the reach of experienced nurses and support novice practitioners, creating hybrid models that retain talent and improve patient access. Such programs include virtual visits, remote consultations, and AI-enabled monitoring to enhance safety and patient outcomes while addressing staffing shortages.
Focusing on workforce development and training is equally important. Preparing healthcare staff with the necessary technical skills and ethical training to safely and effectively use AI and other digital tools ensures technology adoption improves workflow and patient care without compromising data security or quality.
Promoting a cultural shift and leadership engagement is also vital. Healthcare managers play a crucial role in championing digital transformation by fostering acceptance and tailoring technology deployment to fit clinical realities. Emphasizing education and digital competencies among clinicians encourages sustainable adoption of innovations.
Digital health solutions should facilitate efficient, cost-effective, and accessible care, overcoming geographical and physical barriers. Integration should include improving electronic health record usability to reduce friction and enhance clinical workflows.
Notable examples of this approach in action include Providence's predictive scheduler tool, developed in collaboration with IBM, which automates and streamlines laborious manual processes, aiming to get caregivers back into patient care settings and focusing less on administrative tasks. Phoenix Children's Hospital is developing machine learning models in-house for practical applications like diagnosing malnutrition in children, predicting no-shows, supporting staff retention, and identifying potential donors.
Healthcare organizations are looking for digitally enabled solutions, particularly for virtual care or powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, to mitigate workforce shortages. The World Health Organization has urged countries to prioritize supporting and expanding their healthcare workforce due to serious shortages.
In the U.S., about 100,000 registered nurses left the workforce over the past two years amid the COVID-19 pandemic due to retirements, stress, and burnout. Another 610,388 RNs could leave by 2027 for the same reasons. This underscores the urgency for innovative solutions to address the workforce crisis in healthcare.
Collaborations between industry giants like Microsoft, Epic, Philips, 3M, Amazon Web Services, and HCA Healthcare are driving the development of generative AI applications to aid clinical decision support, refine ambient clinical documentation with AI, and improve electronic health record systems.
In conclusion, a holistic approach that combines careful needs assessment, adoption of AI-enabled workforce tools, virtual care modalities, comprehensive staff training, and leadership that supports a culture of innovation empowers staff, optimizes resources, and ultimately expands capacity to deliver high-quality care despite workforce constraints.
- Science and technology integration are key strategies being employed at workplaces to address chronic diseases and medical conditions, as demonstrated by healthcare leaders at the HIMSS23 conference.
- Workforce shortages, particularly in primary care and nursing, necessitate the prioritization of digital solutions to alleviate burdens and improve service delivery.
- AI, machine learning, and digital workforce management platforms are being adopted to support clinician scheduling, reduce burnout, and optimize resources.
- Predictive analytics are used for flexible scheduling and labor pool management, enhancing workforce resilience and operational efficiency.
- Virtual care solutions, such as telehealth and AI-enabled monitoring, extend the reach of experienced nurses and support novice practitioners.
- Workforce development and training are essential to ensure healthcare staff can safely and effectively use AI and other digital tools.
- A cultural shift and leadership engagement are vital for championing digital transformation in healthcare organizations.
- Efficient, cost-effective, and accessible care is necessary, with integration focusing on improving electronic health record usability.
- Providence and Phoenix Children's Hospital are examples of healthcare organizations integrating digital solutions to address workforce shortages and improve care delivery.
- Healthcare organizations are seeking digitally enabled solutions, particularly for virtual care or powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning.
- The World Health Organization urges countries to prioritize supporting and expanding their healthcare workforce due to serious shortages.
- In the U.S., about 100,000 registered nurses left the workforce over the past two years, and an additional 610,388 could leave by 2027.
- Generative AI applications are being developed by collaborations between industry giants to aid clinical decision support and refine ambient clinical documentation.
- AI and machine learning are used to diagnose medical conditions, predict no-shows, support staff retention, and identify potential donors.
- A holistic approach that combines needs assessment, AI-enabled workforce tools, virtual care modalities, comprehensive staff training, and an innovative culture can empower staff, optimize resources, and expand capacity to deliver high-quality care.
- Fitness and exercise, eye-health, hearing, cardiovascular-health, neurological-disorders, skin-conditions, mental-health, and lifestyle management are essential aspects of health-and-wellness that should be considered in this approach.
- Artificial-intelligence and technology advancements can contribute to fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, data-and-cloud-computing, sports, sports-betting, cars, education-and-self-development, personal-growth, and even relationships and pets, by offering innovative solutions to improve quality of life and ease daily tasks.
- Travel, both domestic and international, can benefit from AI and technology implementation, offering more convenient booking, destination suggestions, and real-time updates, enhancing overall travel experiences.
