In the ever-evolving realm of healthcare, the conversation often gravitates towards patient care innovations, but there is a transformative shift happening behind the scenes that deserves equal attention.
Enter the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) – powerful tools that are not just revolutionizing patient interactions but also redefining how administrative tasks are managed. Imagine AI seamlessly handling scheduling, predicting staffing needs, and forecasting patient volumes, all while easing the administrative burden on healthcare professionals. Picture a digital assistant that manages supplies, handles automatic substitutions, and even shows your calendar with meetings with a mere voice command.
Yet, the impact of technology extends beyond operational efficiency. Today’s healthcare organizations are increasingly focusing on holistic employee well-being, integrating flexible scheduling and mobile access into their strategic plans to foster work-life balance and enhance job satisfaction. As the workforce becomes more diverse with up to four generations working together, organizations face the challenge of preserving valuable institutional knowledge while embracing the fresh perspectives of newer generations.
In this blog, we will explore how AI and ML are transforming administrative tasks, the growing emphasis on employee well-being, and strategies for navigating a multigenerational workforce. Join us as we delve into these exciting developments and their implications for creating a more efficient, supportive, and inclusive healthcare environment.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: AI and ML. Artificial intelligence can help in many areas of healthcare, including those assisting in patient care, but this will be more of a focus on how AI/ML can assist nurses and your team in how it can assist with administrative tasks and relieve some of that administrative burden. AI can assist with scheduling, predictive analytics for your staffing needs, and even forecasting patient volumes and the needs of your patients to help ensure your organization has the right number of staff at those peak times.
ML can even help you manage and allocate your supplies and equipment based on your predictive needs. The important thing to remember about your AI/ML projects is to include nursing in how your organization will implement and utilize these areas. Imagine if you can order supplies through a digital assistant and create a stat requisition right there! What if we take it one step further and if that supply has been recalled or backordered- it will be automatically substituted! Imagine if you walk into your office and ask your digital assistant what interviews you have today! Update your emergency contact- all of this is possible, and these are just a few!
Organizations will also be focusing more on the overall well-being of their employees. No longer is wellbeing a passion project, we are finding that more organizations are making this part of their overall strategic plans. Ensuring that the environment is positive and inclusive and that the overall benefit packages offered to employees include the overall well-being of their team. Many healthcare organizations are looking at diverse ways of flexible scheduling to make sure that their team can have that work-life balance and have mobile access so that they can access their information whenever they need it. Being able to request time off, swap shifts, review any open shifts including shift incentives, reviewing their paystub so they can print it off, all this right available at their fingertips.
Multigenerational nursing is another topic that I want to be sure to cover. Did you know that right now there are four generations within the walls of organizations today? The challenges that are presenting is with the baby boomer generation leaving the profession, how are you keeping that institutional knowledge that they have? Many organizations that I work with are thinking outside the box and having these nurses become preceptors and mentors to the new generation of nurses because each generation brings a set of unique skills and perspectives into the nursing profession. The organizations need to understand the generational differences so that they can help address diverse needs, foster collaboration, and enhance the overall dynamics of the workplace.
To wrap up this exploration into the transformative impact of AI, ML, and strategic employee management in healthcare, we are clearly at the brink of a significant shift. The integration of AI and ML offers unprecedented opportunities to streamline administrative tasks, improve efficiency, and enhance patient care, while also alleviating the administrative burden on nursing teams. As we continue to embrace these technologies, it’s crucial to remember that their successful implementation hinges on thoughtful integration and active involvement from all levels of the healthcare workforce.
To learn more and understand how Infor can help you win over your workforce, please connect with an Infor SME here to start the conversation.
Joanna, with prior experience as a Chief Nursing Executive, now advises healthcare clients on the benefits of adopting the Infor Healthcare Operations Platform and embracing digital transformation from a clinical standpoint.
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