We have discussed the significant changes that AI technology has brought about in recent years. Various industries, including healthcare, have been greatly affected by ChatGPT and other forms of AI technology.
The impact of AI in the healthcare sector is substantial, with the demand for AI in healthcare growing at a rate of approximately 40% per year. However, concerns about incorporating AI in healthcare exist. A poll conducted by Pew Research revealed that 37% of people are afraid that AI will worsen healthcare security, while only 22% believe it will improve it.
Nevertheless, the overall benefits of AI in healthcare seem to outweigh the drawbacks. One of the significant advantages is its potential to prevent burnout among nurses and other healthcare professionals.
AI Can Keep Nurses from Experiencing Burnout
The healthcare profession has one of the highest turnover rates. Nearly half of all nurses quit within five years of graduating. Various factors contribute to this alarming statistic, such as the demanding nature of nursing, long shifts, and working on evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Healthcare workers also face challenging experiences, as they often deal with individuals during their most difficult moments. It is emotionally challenging to witness someone struggling with a debilitating illness, and it can be isolating. Not everyone can handle the emotional toll of losing a patient and then go home to their family for dinner that same night.
All of these factors contribute to high levels of nurse burnout. However, there are medical technologies that can help streamline work processes and reduce job-related stress. AI, in particular, can be especially helpful in preventing burnout and providing other benefits for healthcare workers.
Below, we will explore these technologies and how they can assist healthcare workers in managing burnout.
AI
The increasing prominence of AI in various aspects of professional and personal life is controversial. However, it has proven to simplify many tasks that previously required significant human effort, often at a higher level of quality.
There are now AI programs that can automate tasks such as updating care plans and complying with standard guidelines, which used to require direct and often tedious effort from nurses.
These AI tools are designed to enhance human jobs rather than threaten them. By utilizing AI tools, nurses have more time to focus on patient care, which is often their primary motivation for entering the profession.
In addition to tackling administrative tasks, AI can assist healthcare professionals with more complex processes such as diagnosis, patient mental health, expediting clinical trials through data analysis, and more. In many cases, AI serves as an assistant rather than a replacement for healthcare professionals.
For example, AI-assisted onboarding processes can streamline initial care procedures and paperwork when patients visit doctors. This allows patients to receive more efficient and personalized care.
Telehealth Technology
Telehealth technology provides nurses with more flexibility in caring for patients. People can now seek minor healthcare advice online, reducing the number of individuals visiting doctors’ offices.
For nurses, this means they can reduce the busyness of their schedules and minimize contact with germs. Busy doctor’s offices often see 30-50 patients per day, which exposes nurses to potentially sick individuals.
In certain cases, telehealth nurses even have the option to work from home, further enhancing their work environment comfort.
Wearable Health Technology
Wearable healthcare devices have made patient monitoring much easier. These devices can range from simple fitness trackers like Fitbits to more vital health-tracking technologies, including heart monitors.
While these devices may not directly impact nurses’ quality of life, they contribute to better patient outcomes by providing valuable health information.
Remote monitoring technology is also commonly implemented on hospital floors, enabling healthcare professionals to check on patients’ well-being without physically visiting their rooms. These devices improve patient outcomes by facilitating early issue detection and making long shifts on crowded floors more manageable.
Robotics
The integration of robotics in the healthcare industry is slow and costly. However, technologies that automate physical responsibilities traditionally assigned to doctors and nurses are steadily advancing.
One prominent example is the DaVinci robot, which performs surgery with a higher success rate than human doctors. However, it comes with a price tag of approximately one million dollars, making it a significant barrier for many hospitals.
Despite the cost, the emergence of “robotic nurses” could significantly impact the lives of nurses worldwide. While robotic nurses cannot replace human counterparts, they can perform physical responsibilities such as taking vitals, easing the demanding nature of nursing jobs.
These developments provide healthcare workers with more time to strategize and interact with patients, utilizing soft, human skills that technology cannot replicate.
Self-care/Communication Applications
There are now self-care and hospital communication applications specifically designed for nurses. These applications may include mindfulness techniques to manage and reduce stress, as well as communication interfaces to connect nurses working in the same hospital.
These communication networks foster a sense of community among nurses and provide practical functions, such as facilitating shift trades.
While self-care technology cannot replace professional mental health services, it can contribute to improving day-to-day experiences.
Conclusion
The purpose of technology is to simplify and enhance tasks. The aforementioned products achieve that by improving nurses’ work lives. However, to truly address the problems faced by healthcare workers and boost retention, systemic changes are necessary. The phrase “there’s an app for that” does not fully apply.
Many hospitals are already taking steps to improve working hours, raise compensation, and provide more mental and emotional health resources to their staff. These changes will have a more significant impact than any technological development. These are just a few of the many challenges that AI can help address in healthcare.
As quality-of-life considerations become standardized in American hospitals, nurses will hopefully find their jobs more manageable.
Of course, the most effective way to ensure this is through open conversation. Hospital administrators who want to boost morale should directly ask their staff for measures that can be implemented to reduce worksite stress.
This approach not only improves burnout reduction efforts but also makes healthcare workers feel seen and heard.
