Health Technology, Digital Healthcare
Article | August 16, 2023
COVID-19 has sped up the adoption of healthcare technology solutions by healthcare providers. This has unexpectedly brought a peak in opportunity for health tech companies to achieve important business, demonstrating your innovations. However, it is very challenging and competitive as bigger health tech companies pivot and new health tech start-ups keep coming into the healthcare market. This also makes the healthcare technology market an increasingly competitive space.
Thus, all health tech companies need to depend more on effective health tech messaging for their business purpose and credibility. This will help them bring their targeted clients on board for the long-term.
Health tech Messaging Challenges Faced by Marketers
Nowadays, the process of marketing products online is a combat sport. With every passing year, it is becoming more challenging for health tech marketers to beat the algorithms, build the audience, and ultimately win the hearts of the customers through effective health tech messaging.
Digital health leaders are coming up with amazing technology innovations that can revolutionize the healthcare industry. Electronic medical records (EMR) software, medical billing software, medical practice management software, electronic claims software, medical database software, medical research software, medical diagnosis software, medical imaging software, telemedicine software, etc. are some of the examples of amazing technology innovations and latest healthcare technologies. But, things fall apart when it comes to marketing through effective health tech messaging. The following are some of the health tech messaging challenges faced by marketers.
• Communicating the purpose and value of your business and the products effectively to
clients
• Making the clients understand the credibility of the technology products and your business
• Product positioning
• Lack of clear healthcare marketing strategy
• Bad marketing advice
• Lack of effective and compelling marketing content
• Failing to understand the client/buyer persona
• Failing to understand the brand pillars,
• Ignorant of effective use of various messaging channels, and much more
Why Does Effective Health Tech Messaging Matter?
From the introduction part, you might have already understood the power of a good health tech messaging strategy. If you do not have a unified marketing strategy, you will end up merely alienating potential customers; they may end up in confusion about the purpose of your health tech brand. Moreover, without an effective health tech messaging strategy, you may become incoherent to your audience. But the real impact of a cohesive and good health tech messaging strategy will surely go beyond everything we have talked about already and empower your business in all aspects.
Different marketing materials, whether they are social media posts, emails, podcasts, videos, or something else, your health tech messaging strategy will guide you in determining what to focus on and what tone to be used. If you are planning a social media campaign or writing blogs and articles, you will know the attention-grabbing ways of speaking to your customers. This is possible only if you have a defined messaging strategy. Customer service teamwork also becomes more effective and easier, when you have a good health tech messaging strategy. Educating the customer is easier when you speak to them in a tone and language that you know they will understand. Doing it consistently makes you win the customer.
How Health Tech Messaging Can Work for Reaching Healthcare Decision Makers
It is not an easy task to engage healthcare decision-makers in hospitals, insurance providers, health systems, and private practices. These high-powered directors, managers, and executives are busier than ever. This makes the process of health tech marketing difficult. Apart from overwhelming job responsibilities, these healthcare professionals are also inundated with ads, emails, and phone calls. So rather than sending them messages randomly, it is important to help your prospects when they are free from their daily disruptions and have time.
Here, an effective health tech messaging strategy can help you reach out to decision makers easily. Health tech messaging strategy lays out various health tech marketing techniques, tricks, or tactics. These health tech messaging techniques or methodologies are helpful in the three stages of your health tech client journey: awareness, consideration, and decision making stages. Through all these stages of health tech massaging, you help or influence health tech decision makers to recognise they have a problem, consider a solution, and finally they take the decision to purchase your product.
4 Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Health Tech Messaging
Performing your brand messaging haphazardly is not going to take you anywhere in reaching out to people, who need your products. Instead, you should slow down yourself a bit and build a compelling health tech messaging strategy. Test it, launch it, and learn from it.
If you are strategic, you are truly going to drive your mission despite the noise that is existing on the internet today. Here are four important factors that will help you make your health tech messaging strategy effective and compelling.
Understanding Your Targeted Audience
You have a better idea of who you are and what you offer. Now you need to know who your audience is, which is equally important in building health tech messaging strategy. Throughout the process of messaging, it is vital to keep your ideal buyer in mind. So, you will only create messages that will resonate with the needs, interests, motivations, and pain points of your potential clients. The things you want to know about your targeted clients are called buyer/client persona.
Buyer Persona
It is better to create a buyer persona that tells who your customer and what their goals are. Buyer persona also will help you align your brand with your customers. According to HubSpot, a buyer persona can be a semi-fictional representation of your potential customers based on real data and market research and about your current customers.
Knowing who your messages are aimed at is important in developing a successful health tech brand messaging strategy. Before you go any further, buyer persona makes you know:
• Who you are marketing to
• What they care about and value
• The sort of language they use and will respond to
• Geographical location
• Educational and income levels
• Psychographics and behavioral patterns, etc.
Focusing on Your Differentiating Factors from Competitors
To figure out your differentiating factors from the competitors is as important as you understand your place in the market. You will have to assess the differences and similarities between the products and services you offer and your competitors’ offerings. Also, compare the targeted audience of you and your competitors.
Understanding your competition, you face from the market, will get you a clear image of your brand and what health tech message you may have to send out to your targeted audience. Just remember that each of the health tech brands can have only one message; it needs to be unique. Due to the competition, messages can be too similar, but it should not make your customers get confused about your business.
Thus, communicating your uniqueness to your audience is a very important factor. In this regard, conducting some competitor analysis may help you a lot.
Making your Value Propositions Obvious
You can influence how people perceive your brand if you could successfully communicate the values of your business. Values are principles or mission that guide all actions of brands. Storytelling can be effectively used to illustrate the values of your brand. Success stories from Salesforce and Microsoft’s Story Labs are examples. These stories can be on things such as empowering small businesses or improving the world through technology. It creates loyalty when you make your clients feel they are part of something that is going to change the world for the better.
It is very helpful to start your health tech messaging process with your value prop because it is the core of what you do and who you are. Your value prop explains both the emotional and functional benefits your service or products provides. This means the value people get out of your products. Communicating the values of your company is considered strong health tech messaging only when it specifies how your brand is going to solve a problem and why should people choose your product.
Using Multiple Technology Channels for Brand Messaging
In general, digital health tech messaging has to be pinpointed. The spray and pray method will not work to bring in inbound leads. However, if you want to reach out to health tech audience with your health tech messaging, you should be there on all the channels they are on. Here are a few examples of channels, which can be used to reach out to people effectively with your health tech messaging process.
Digital Ads
If digital ads are used effectively for health tech messaging, you can reach out to your target audience easily. When digital ads are used correctly, you can pinpoint the audience through audience targeting and keywords. Moreover, through ad channels, you can reach out to people who otherwise would not have ever known about your products. However, if you are not using digital ads effectively, you will lose money without any results.
Social Media
Most people are active on some sort of social media channels. Many of these people use these channels either for networking or educating themselves in their field.
This is the reason why you should concentrate on social media platforms for effective health tech messaging in a way that encourages interaction and feedback. Along with establishing a strong relationship with your prospects, you can also use social media platforms to build brand awareness through health tech messaging process.
Emails
Emails are the fruitful medium for effective health tech messaging. You can build brand awareness through seeding emails regularly. It will work as a bookmark than a selling point. Potential clients will remember the good interaction you had with them through emails when they have a problem in the future.
Along with these channels, other channels such as videos, websites, blogs, articles, podcasts, etc. also can be used for effective health tech messaging. These multiple channels, where most of your potential clients are present, are selling points for your health tech products or helps in lead generation for healthcare technology products.
To sum up, what matters more in health tech messaging and marketing is projecting your values, differentiating factors, knowing A to Z about your targeted audience, and meeting them on the channel, where they are present. Your health tech brand message is something that makes you dwell in the minds of people. Thus, how you are perceived matters a lot. Start building your brand today by sending out effective health tech messages to your potential clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does health tech messaging help?
Heathtech messaging helps you to improve your business by making your potential clients understand what you are and what you do. Brand awareness of your products is done through effective health tech messaging.
What is the best health tech messaging method?
The best health tech messaging method is to project your business values in all the marketing campaigns you do. It should specify what your customers can expect from your products and services and what changes it will make in society.
How does technology help in healthcare?
Technology helps healthcare to avail all patients the best treatment available and make them satisfied and engaged. Also, technology helps healthcare industry to innovate treatments and revolutionize the entire practice in the healthcare sector.
Why is technology important in healthcare?
For achieving optimum patient satisfaction and engagement, technology is important in healthcare. Also, technology plays a role in improving the healthcare system and saving the lives of people.
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Healthtech Security
Article | August 31, 2023
Delve into the EHR tools reshaping the healthcare industry for an efficient and patient-centric future. Unlock streamlined workflows and data-driven decision-making through these EHR software tools.
Adopting an EHR tool has become crucial for clinics and healthcare providers striving to revolutionize their operations and deliver a high standard of care. These innovative EHR software tools possess the potential to transform healthcare workflows, enabling clinics to optimize processes, streamline operations, and provide an exceptional level of care to patients. From facilitating seamless communication and improving operational efficiency to enhancing patient satisfaction, EHR tools unlock possibilities for improved operations, accurate claims processing, and enhanced financial management within practices.
This article explores the top 10 electronic health record tools that are reshaping the healthcare industry and paving the way for a more efficient and patient-centric future.
1. Avalon EHR
It is an EHR evaluation tool that prioritizes robust physician-patient engagement, setting it apart from complex electronic health record (EHR) systems. With an unwavering focus on reliability and security, Avalon offers a cutting-edge solution for the future of healthcare. Its key features include CureMD's clinical overview, which presents alarms, trends, and patient histories on a single screen, ensuring comprehensive insights. The platform also boasts a specialized rheumatology section with templates for typical symptoms, simplifying documentation processes. Furthermore, Avalon provides regular updates for various medical specialties following CPT and ICD codes, ensuring compliance, proper medical procedures, and diagnosis recording. Notably, it supports automated overnight transcription of dictations into templates, significantly reducing the time and billing service partners' costs associated with finding and documenting clinical findings.
2. AdvancedBiller
The AdvancedBiller Grow program offers medical billing companies a comprehensive and advantageous solution, combining industry-leading software solutions with exclusive partner benefits. This program is designed to drive optimal outcomes by providing a unified practice management workflow, excellent support, free promotional opportunities, and competitive, scalable pricing. With a focus on boosting performance and profitability, AdvancedBiller equips businesses with the necessary tools to excel in their field. The program features custom health plans that assist doctors in managing individual patient needs based on age, sex, and lab findings. Additionally, it offers customizable note-taking templates to align with specific workflows and preferences. This EHR tool also facilitates telemedicine appointments, enabling patients to communicate face-to-face with their doctors and receive important notifications. Furthermore, the program enhances data management by allowing doctors to save sensitive information and screenshots during conference calls securely. By leveraging the AdvancedBiller Grow program, medical billing companies can optimize operations, deliver superior care, and achieve notable success.
3. Halemind
EHR integration tools, such as Halemind, present a game-changing solution that enables clinics to elevate their operations and provide superior patient care. This comprehensive platform offers many features, including appointment scheduling, patient registrations, check-ins, consultations, prescriptions, billing, and reporting, all aimed at delivering a seamless customer experience. With Halemind, clinics can transform their business and scale up their operations. The platform also provides specialized functionalities for pharmacies, allowing real-time access to customer histories, order tracking, invoicing, and supplier management. In addition, hospitals can benefit from Halemind's capabilities, such as operations planning, invoicing, payment collection, patient sample tracking, and customizable data display. Medical facilities can further enhance their efficiency by utilizing its in-patient module for managing wards, rooms, and beds and generating discharge reports.
4. SIMPLEX HIMES Patient Portal
SIMPLEX HIMES software incorporates an optional yet powerful feature, the Patient Portal and Mobile Application, designed to revolutionize patient engagement and communication. This EHR tool seamlessly integrates with existing websites, providing healthcare facilities with a comprehensive EHR tool to enhance the patient experience. The Patient Portal enables efficient control of patient intake, bed availability monitoring, operating room scheduling, and centralized patient demographic management within hospitals. The software streamlines operations for pathology labs by managing information about referral laboratories, generating barcodes for sample tracing, and delivering timely test result alerts via email or text. Additionally, patients benefit from self-service portals, empowering them to conveniently schedule appointments, access medical records, locate service provider locations, and communicate with their doctors.
5. Patient Engagement
The Patient Engagement tool offers patients unparalleled access to their personal health information, visit summaries, and lab results, empowering them to take an active role in their healthcare journey. With the help of this EHR tool, patients can conveniently book appointments online using the healow Open Access feature, efficiently manage their medications, and engage in secure messaging with their healthcare providers. In addition, the eCW software utilized within the tool provides organized data capture, trend analysis, and customizable documentation options for various healthcare specialties. Clinicians can effortlessly retrieve any aspect of the patient record through the Patient Hub, ensuring complete and efficient access to vital information. Furthermore, eClinicalWorks Version 11 introduces Eva, a computer program that assists physicians in evaluating patient records, leveraging details from the Progress Note tool and data flowsheets. This advanced functionality enhances clinical decision-making and promotes efficient patient care.
6. Electronic Prescription
The Electronic Prescription tool revolutionizes prescription management in the healthcare industry, offering a seamless and efficient solution for healthcare providers. This advanced software streamlines the prescription process by eliminating traditional prescription pads, enhancing convenience and accuracy. AllegianceMD, integrated within the tool, enables patients to fill out their history and demographic information online within defined clinic limits, facilitating seamless integration of patient information. This EHR tool encompasses a range of features, including an active/inactive medicine list, e-refill requests, an allergy list, and comprehensive drug interaction checks. The software also includes a lab module for efficiently tracking test results and follow-ups. With its extended functionalities, the Electronic Prescription tool elevates prescription management, promoting patient safety and enhancing workflow efficiency for healthcare providers.
7. Telehealth
WRS Health Telehealth offers healthcare providers and patients a secure and reliable virtual care experience. With seamless integration into the electronic health record (EHR), this comprehensive telehealth platform provides a single platform for managing virtual patient encounters. Designed with ease of use in mind, both patients and providers can navigate the user-friendly interface effortlessly. This EHR comparison tool is a safe alternative to in-office visits, offering private and secure online consultations that comply with HIPAA regulations. This telehealth solution ensures a smooth and efficient workflow with its seamless integration of clinical and revenue cycle management (RCM) functionalities.
8. Practice Management for Billing Companies
The Practice Management tool offered by SequelMed is a comprehensive solution that streamlines operations and enhances efficiency in healthcare practices. This advanced tool automates various tasks, including billing, claim processing, revenue management & clinical procedures, and generates analytical reports for comprehensive insights, with the option of bundled or separate programs for electronic health records and practice management. The software provides interoperability with imaging systems and medical equipment through HL7 and DICOM interfaces, offering flexibility in deployment options with on-site or cloud hosting. In addition to its core functionalities, it enhances patient engagement with real-time communication, online patient registration, active prescription lists, immunization schedules, and a patient portal. The Practice Management Tool simplifies computerized prescription processes and promotes connectivity across healthcare systems, enabling healthcare providers to optimize their operations and deliver efficient, patient-centered care.
9. Medical Practice Management Software
The Practice Management Software offers healthcare providers a powerful solution to streamline operations, ensure accurate claims processing, and expedite reimbursement cycles. With its intuitive design and comprehensive features, this software empowers practices to take control of their operations and optimize efficiency. Users can benefit from the HIPAA-compliant claims clearinghouse provided by NueMD, allowing for the seamless processing of unlimited claims. The software makes it easier to submit paper claims by reducing it to a single click, and it also simplifies payment transactions by incorporating credit card processing. Additionally, the ONC-ATCB-certified EHR enhances clinical workflow by providing charting capabilities, e-prescribing, laboratory report monitoring, and secure fax management.
10. LiquidEHR
LiquidEHR is a cloud-based electronic health record (EHR) solution ideal for small and midsize optometry practices. It offers a range of features to manage medical records, scheduling, and billing effectively. The software includes specialized tools specific to optometry, such as historical IOP charts, drawing tools, built-in eye charts, frames data integration, and image management. Clinicians using LiquidEHR have access to electronic insurance filing tools, patient recalls, drug interactions and allergy checks, problem lists, medication recommendations, educational resources, vital signs monitoring, and more. The system also ensures data security through access controls, audit logs, and encryption features.
Future Scope
By staying informed about the top EHR tools highlighted in this article, medical practitioners can unlock streamlined workflows, improved communication, and data-driven decision-making to optimize clinical practices and deliver exceptional patient care. The future of EHR assessment tools looks promising, with emerging trends like artificial intelligence, machine learning, interoperability, and telehealth shaping the way forward. By embracing these advancements, healthcare professionals can stay ahead of the curve, maximize operational efficiency, and position themselves for success in the healthcare industry.
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Health Technology
Article | September 12, 2023
© 2019 American Cranes & Transport Magazine.
Night moves
Moving over-sized, over-dimensional loads during the day is no easy task. Adding darkness and poor visibility to your trip adds numerous hazards that must be thoroughly identified and mitigated.
When planning a specialized transportation project, there are three primary objectives:
Ensure the safety of the transport crew and the general public.
Protect the integrity of the cargo and transport equipment.
Protection of Infrastructure – roads, bridges, traffic control devices, utilities and the like.
For the most part, specialized carriers perform night transports to reduce the impact on day-time commuter traffic. Route challenges – construction, road closures, lane crossovers, bridges and other obstacles – are often better solved at night. Police and utility support are often more readily available at night.
Night transport hazards include employee fatigue, slowed reaction time and poor visibility for both the transport crew and motorists. Decreased visibility increases potential for trips, falls, runovers, back overs and equipment strikes.
It can’t be emphasized enough how critically important it is to ensure that all transport crew members have had adequate rest for these projects. Workers need complete rest before the transport takes place. A fatigued worker is a danger to himself as well as his fellow crew members. And while impaired drivers can be out on the streets during the day, there is often an increased number of these drivers on roadways at night.
Limited visibility is a given when it comes to night-time transports. Limited visibility increases the chance of going off route and striking objects, and the transport driver’s maneuverability and reaction time maybe be reduced. Road conditions can abruptly change during a night-time transport. Therefore, it is critically important to know the route and to have drivers run it in advance. Statistically speaking, accident frequency increases when the transporter goes off route and attempts to correct itself. While providing the necessary lighting to make night transport is important, artificial lighting can pose visibility hazards, especially to the drivers. Other hazards may include bright work lighting that produces glare.
OSHA has identified the “Focus Four” accident events that make up the most serious injuries and fatalities in the construction business. They are also known as the “Fatal Four.” Many carriers have had employees injured in the past as a result of one of these four incidents.
Caught-in-between hazards are injuries resulting from a person being squeezed, caught, crushed, pinched or compressed between two or more objects or between parts of an object. This is also referred to as “pinch points or entrapment.” As the transporter navigates its designated route the landscape is continuously changing. It is imperative that all ground crew members maintain situational awareness and not place themselves between the moving transporter and fixed objects such as guardrails, parked vehicles, buildings, etc.
Struck-by hazards are injuries produced by forcible contact or impact between the injured person and an object or piece of equipment. There are many potential struck-by hazards. Guide wires that must be raised can snap and strike workers on the ground. Tag lines should be used to control loads. The primary purpose of using tag lines is to control the load but more importantly give the worker a safe buffer distance away from suspended and the uncontrolled movement of these loads.
Fall hazards are anything that could cause an unintended loss of balance or bodily support and result in a fall. To prevent fall hazards all workers should have either fall prevention or a means of fall protection in place. As a rule, 100 percent tie off is required when using a fall arrest system (FAS). FAS’s should be thoroughly inspected before each use.
Electrocution hazards result when a person is exposed to a lethal amount of electrical energy. Maintaining minimum approach distances (MAD) is a critical safety practice. As everyone knows, equipment does not have to physically make contact with energized equipment or lines to cause serious injuries and even death. Electrical energy can “jump” from lines into equipment that has encroached the Minimum Approach Distance based on its voltage.
As noted above, it is critically important to ensure that crew members have had adequate rest and are not fatigued. Night transports are difficult enough, and the last thing you want to introduce are tired and fatigued workers. Being fatigued creates a risk for anyone who undertakes an activity that requires concentration and a quick response.
All companies should have an “Hours Worked Policy” that clearly spells out the number of hours allowed to work before a mandatory rest period. This policy should ensure that the transport crew has had adequate rest during day, that a fatigue assessment is conducted on all team members, that crews are never allowed to work double shifts and that employees are prohibited from driving long distances to return home.
Dealing with darkness
Visibility and slowed reaction times should be a part of the project planning. A limited amount of ambient light that only projects upward and outward impedes vision and increases blind spots for drivers. Lights cast shadows, increasing the potential for slips, trips and falls.
All transport moves should establish pre-planned Emergency Action Plans. When an emergency occurs, time is of the essence and can mean the difference between life and death. If it is a long-distance move the emergency numbers and first responder information can change. Crews should know when it’s time to seek emergency “safe harbor.”
When approaching overhead obstructions such as guide wires, electrical lines, communication lines and overpasses, travel speed is of utmost importance. Again, pre-route surveys provide advance knowledge of obstructions. At night, visual identification of roadway obstructions is reduced and delayed and last second reactions to oncoming hazards can lead to accidents. Support personnel in bucket trucks also have the challenge of reduced visibility.
In darkness, overhead hazards often require more utility support for height clearances, which means the need for raising energized lines, lifting traffic control devices, trimming tree limbs, releasing tension on guide wires, removing highway signs, repositioning street lights and raising railroad crossing arms.
Traffic control can also create hazards. The general public may ignore pilot car lights at night, so it’s often advisable to also use police escorts. All support vehicles and trucks should be properly marked and equipped with strobe lights.
The configuration of the transport system can also be a hazard. Navigating sharp turns or crossovers is greatly reduced based on the length of transporter. Snake-like maneuvers of trailers pose an increased risk.
It’s important to never allow personnel to take shortcuts by walking through or under transporter while it’s in motion. Stop or have the worker go around.
Situational awareness
The transport crew must always maintain “situational awareness” to prevent being in line of fire or entrapped between moving and fixed objects.
All the equipment used in the transport must be deemed safe. You should have procedures to conduct thorough assessment of all new equipment.
Ensure machine guard devices are in place especially around moving components.
Provide secured areas using catwalks/railing system.
All steps should be designed with slip resistant material.
Ensure that all deck openings are properly protected and covered.
Components that hydraulically extend and retract should be clearly posted with DANGER signs.
Roadway conditions are always a bigger concern at night. Assess weather conditions prior to start of the project and don’t take chances. A “Go – No Go” criteria should be developed for each project. Once the decision is made to transport the load there is no turning back. Changing weather can cause the transporter to lose traction. Underpasses that are shaded during the day will likely freeze up more quickly. If the temperatures drop significantly during the move, equipment performance may be affected – especially those with hydraulics.
Because the reaction time of the transport crew is reduced, speeds are often reduced, causing potential for curfew violations. Boarding and deboarding the transporter increases risk for slips and falls. Other potential road condition hazards include grade of road, width of road, shoulder surfaces, railroad crossing clearances and bottoming out, overpasses, tight and narrow turning lanes, parked vehicles and frequent grade changes.
Crew prep is essential and should be a part of the job plan and job training. The team should be briefed each day to identify the responsibilities of all crew members. The crew should know it is empowered; everyone has the authority to stop the transport if something looks unsafe or when someone is unsure. In the event of a complication, crews should be informed of how to regroup and formulata mitigation plan. There should be an established means of communication that is limited only to transport issues. Most importantly, crew should embrace these words: When in doubt, call time out!
A Task Hazard Analysis (THA) should address all scope of work activities, identify hazards and have a mitigation plan for each, clear channels of communication, the traffic control plan and an “Emergency Preparedness Plan.” And finally: Know the route; ride the route and expect the unexpected.
Edwards-Moving_Faktor-5 (2).jpg
Edwards Moving performs a night move using it’s Goldhofer Faktor-5 transport system.
Keys to a successful night transport
Early planning and attention to detail. Anticipate roadway hazards such as guardrails, poles & hydrants that pose obstruction with travel path or turning radius.
Preparing a detailed traffic control plan.
Thorough due diligence throughout scope of work.
Established contingency plan for equipment.
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Health Technology
Article | August 16, 2022
Workers in the healthcare industry are among the most burned out demographics following the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, a report by Medscape on physician burnout and depression in 2022 calculated a five-percentage point increase in burnout overall, from 42% in 2020 to 47% in 2021. Critical care physician burnout was also found to increase from 44% to 51% last year, placing them at the top of Maryville University’s list of physician specialties with the highest cases of burnout. This is closely followed by rheumatology physician burnout, which was 50% in 2021. At the bottom of the list, emergency medicine physician burnout still came in close at a rate of 44%.
Burnout can result in, among other things, exhaustion and a loss of concentration, which can be dangerous in healthcare. With that, advancements in technology have been made to help mitigate stress and reduce the chances of burnout in healthcare.
Maximum Tasks, Minimum Efficiency
Reports show that many technological advancements in the healthcare industry actually aren’t appropriate for managing physician workloads. This is due to the range of tasks physicians need to perform, from creating treatment plans to managing EHRs. Our previous discussion on EHR-Generated Messages highlighted how the misapplication of this algorithm had actually led to these inboxes getting clogged. This has primary care physicians spending more than half their workday interacting with EHRs that only remind physicians to order certain tests, instead of dealing with critical messages from patients or colleagues. This has been counterproductive in terms of efficiency, leading to more burnout symptoms and the tendency to reduce clinical work hours. It is therefore important that technology integrations consistently consider the broader picture of the tasks of physicians.
Tech Developments for Reducing Burnout
Shifts in the industry have thus begun to focus on the quality of efficiency and physician assistance, rather than the quantity of technology available. Here are some notable examples of technology that has become finely integrated within the healthcare industry.
Ambient Technology in Clinical Documentation
Ambient computing streamlines the clinical documentation process by using artificial intelligence to respond to human behavior and needs. This provides front-end speech and computer-assisted documentation, reducing the time needed for physicians to work on admin tasks, and thereby minimizing burnout. Smart hospitals have started leveraging this through sensor-based solutions, and experts from Michigan University believe usage must be made easier and simpler to use for the provider if the healthcare industry is to further leverage ambient computing for CDI. As of 2021, adoption has only started to take off, especially in the revenue cycle.
Computer Modeling in Vaccine Development
The traditional process of designing novel vaccines usually lasts 10 to 15 years and can cost between $200 million and $500 million. However, a feature by News Medical highlights the recent development of COVID-19 vaccines, which uncovered the capabilities of computational modeling systems. This showed an ability to predict which parts of a pathogen may be recognized by the immune system’s B cells and T cells. This allows rapid identification of vaccine targets from a genetic sequence, which reduces the years required for preclinical research. Physicians are thus able to respond faster to vaccine developments, and reduce the overload of health systems during any future pandemics or epidemics in the long term.
Patient Placement Technology
The shortage of physicians is a common setback in the industry, one that staff at the Rice County District Hospital in Lyons, Kansas mitigated using patient placement technology. Patient placement technology coordinated care for patients inside the 25-bed, level 4 hospital, as well as those needing to be transferred to another facility. By integrating local EMS and other transport services with health systems, manual telephone calls were no longer necessary. Hence, physicians were able to quickly and effectively get patients the care they needed while managing time-critical diagnoses. This maximizes the limited resources available without stretching out the workforce. Physicians are able to focus solely on their patients, knowing that the time-consuming logistics are being efficiently handled by technology. The industry needs to continue to look into the practices of reducing burnout among physicians, more so as we continue to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. By emphasizing physician wellness and efficient technology, we can continue to assure the health and productivity of healthcare workers into the future.
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