Solving Healthcare Staffing Shortages with Technology
By Ainsley Lawrence, Writer, Researcher
LinkedIn: Ainsley Lawrence
X: @AinsleyLawrenc3
No healthcare provider is an island. Healthcare services require a large and diverse team, and plenty of organizations struggle to find and retain the staff they need to ensure patients receive the care they deserve.
Fortunately, there is a solution to healthcare’s perennial staffing woes: technology. If you are looking for ways for your healthcare organization to survive and thrive amidst staffing shortages, here are a few types of tech you might integrate into your practice today.
The Persistent Problem of Finding and Keeping Healthcare Labor
Though the COVID-19 pandemic certainly did the industry no favors, those who have long worked in healthcare know that the labor shortage is not a new phenomenon. The reasons behind the nursing shortage are many and complex, and understanding them may help you solve the staffing problems within your organization.
Increased Labor Demand
The average age of the population is rising, and the healthcare system is ill-equipped to handle the increase in demand for care that a larger number of older adults will inevitably need. Already, the enormous baby boomer generation is placing extreme strain on the available resources within the healthcare system. If staffing shortages are not addressed, many aging adults may not be able to receive the treatment they need.
Work-Life Imbalance and Burnout
It can be difficult to achieve a comfortable work-life balance in a healthcare career when shifts can be unpredictable, and the consequences of poor performance can be severe. Because the job tends to be stressful, rates of burnout among healthcare providers tend to be high — and that chronic and debilitating stress often compels workers to find new careers.
Extensive and Difficult Training
It isn’t easy to become a healthcare provider. The fastest training for the lowest levels of healthcare professionals is about two years, but most healthcare providers require much more time and effort, perhaps even more than a decade of education and training. Thus, the current shortage in labor is unlikely to be addressed for several years — and that’s if an adequate number of students are actively pursuing the right skills and credentials.
Uneven Distribution of Providers
There aren’t enough healthcare providers anywhere, but some regions suffer the shortage harshly. So-called healthcare deserts, which tend to be in low-income or rural areas, have far below the requisite healthcare providers to address the needs of the population, and new providers are rarely interested in relocating to these regions.
Tips for Reducing Demand for In-house Staff
Though technology will never replace the knowledge, skill, and care of an experienced healthcare provider, it can help reduce the workload by improving the efficiency of certain types of tasks. Specifically, you might consider tech solutions like the following:
Electronic Health Records
The Affordable Care Act includes mandates for adopting electronic health records (EHRs), but many smaller or older providers may still resist this revolutionary tech. EHR systems alleviate many of the administrative headaches of healthcare, such as organizing and retrieving patient information and keeping sensitive data secure. Equipped with properly implemented EHRs, providers can more efficiently manage patient care, helping a larger number of patients even with a smaller staff.
Automated Systems
Tasks that are repetitive, time-intensive, frequent, and simple are asking to be automated — and there is a surprising number of these types of tasks in healthcare. Patient communications tend to be the most common automated tools in healthcare settings; automated systems can guide patients through setting appointments and sending reminders, sending missed appointment notifications, and initiating other types of communications to keep patients engaged.
You might also consider implementing an automated system to manage staff payroll, as payroll tends to be demanding and takes your focus away from patient care. With automated systems in place, you can keep various office operations running while you manage other, more complex responsibilities — like patient care.
Telehealth
At times, telehealth seems to be touted as a solution to every healthcare-related problem. However, telehealth is undeniably helpful to providers who suffer from labor shortages due to location. Utilizing telehealth solutions, you can connect with other providers who may be able to offer your patients more specialized care. You may also be able to leverage teleconferencing tech to reach out to patients without wasting time commuting back and forth to different houses.
Advanced Tech for Attracting Better Labor
When nothing but a living, breathing healthcare professional will do, you need to implement more effective recruitment strategies to attract and retain the best workers. Technology can support your recruitment endeavors to ensure your organization hires when and whom it needs.
Workforce Planning
The more adept you are at identifying your team’s strengths and weaknesses, the better you can fill your staffing needs. Strategic workforce planning helps you continuously and critically review your current workforce so you can align your hiring decisions to meet your organizational goals. Various software solutions help optimize your workforce planning efforts by improving data analysis so you can effortlessly detect when you are in need of a new team member.
AI Automation and Data Analysis
There are many promising applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare, but the one you can use today to great success is in the recruitment process. AI is adept at analyzing candidate information and screening application materials for the qualifications you most need. Then, you can spend less time reviewing cover letters and CVs and spend more time getting to know the best candidates for your available position. AI can also make it easier to provide a positive candidate experience, which will make your organization more attractive to top talent.
The Power of Technology for Better Healthcare
The healthcare industry readily adopts emerging technologies — and for good reason. Any new technology could be the solution providers need to improve patient outcomes in critical ways. For decades, the healthcare industry has had access to various advanced technologies that are only now filtering into other sectors.
Healthcare providers need to learn to leverage their tech-friendly attitude within their business operations. The high-tech solutions designed to address workforce solutions are not particularly new, but they can radically improve how healthcare organizations function while staffing shortages persist. The sooner you resolve your staffing concerns, the sooner you can focus on delivering high-quality healthcare to your patients.
