More than half of physicians reported feeling burned out in the past year according to Medscape. And nearly one in four physicians reported feeling depressed. Even more troubling: these are the highest percentages reported in five years.

As our experts explored in discussions for a 2022 Forrester report, Ease The Nursing Shortage By Triaging And Responding To Early Workforce Warning Signs, technology stands to elevate care experiences and empower care teams. But it can also create new complexities.

In its recent report, Clinician Technology Adoption Hinges On A Clinician-Centered Strategy, Forrester analysts explore how healthcare providers (HCPs) can “unleash clinician value through agile and inclusive tech implementation.”

Start With Strategy

Similar to pain points identified in the report, introductory discussions we have with healthcare technology and operations executives often yield pain points such as:

Technology silos
Duplicative investments
Redundant solutions to problems within the same organization

Forrester points to the negative impacts of an un-strung approach: “Without a strategy, technology investments can worsen the clinician experience and, at times, patient outcomes.”

In her quote within Forrester’s report, Priyal Patel MHA, Perficient director of strategy and solutions, drove this challenge home:

“When you don’t have a strategy, technology doesn’t do what it needs to do. You can have the most amazing technology, but if you don’t implement it correctly with the right strategy, or create the necessary change management to support it, it won’t work.”

Perficient’s lead business consultant Kristina Kaufmann MS RN, who is also quoted in the report, agreed and pointed out the importance to “Connect the dots between different units.” She explained, “If you have different units doing different things, you cannot scale. They need to talk.”

YOU MAY ENJOY: How Kristina Kaufmann’s Nursing Background Informs Her Work With Healthcare Clients

Technology’s Position In the Clinical Workflow

While burnout’s impacts weigh large on HCPs, leaders are also under tremendous pressure to cut costs, increase revenue, and build business resilience. They’re sharpening their strategic pencils and looking for results that support the enterprise’s most pressing needs.

For many HCPs, a significant challenge we often see is technology overwhelm. And that’s easy to understand due to the plethora of available options and new solutions entering the market each day.

According to Forrester, “Investment in hospital equipment will grow from $36 billion in 2018 to $262 billion in 2028. Yet, HCPs often purchase technology on a team-by-team basis.”

Technology can serve as a powerful enabler when approached strategically and with a clear view of business and care team needs.

Forrester published a related report, Tech-Led Healthcare Providers Can Transform The Clinician Experience, and Perficient was listed among the companies interviewed by the analysts as they investigated the “breadth and depth of workforce technologies” meant to support clinical workers. In the report, Forrester shared how, “progressive, tech-led health systems are transforming the clinician experience by investing in scalable and cost-efficient tools that impact productivity.”

Technology shouldn’t become a ball and chain for your organization, and especially not for your clinical staff. Instead, it can be the tool that eases experiences and drives progress toward the quintuple aim. Getting there requires strategy that’s firmly rooted in business needs and tied to outcomes, and our experts can help get you there.

Have questions? We help healthcare organizations identify outcomes-centered strategies and solutions to ease care team experiences and elevate care. Contact us today, and let’s discuss your specific needs and goals.