This year the International Council for Nurses selected an important theme for International Nurses’ Day, “Our Nurses’, our future”. It’s a critical time of reflection for nursing as a profession and we move forward which led me to the title of my editorial. What did the leaders of yesteryear do, differently? The leadership at the time amongst women and in nursing was about courage, empowerment and elevation of the status of women and nurses, albeit that it was not as inclusive as it should be.

Nursing as a profession at the time, was fairly subservient, with nurses taking instructions from the doctor and having very little autonomy. Clinical practice was excellent with nurses giving the best care to their patients. It may not have been evidenced based but they delivered to the best of their ability under the circumstances. Matrons were formidable people who had so much power and were autocratic at so many levels.

The discipline in nursing was paramount to remaining in the profession. Uniforms were white and starched and nursing caps were worn to keep the hair in order. These later changed to become more ornamental and much smaller. The working hours were long and many senior nurses would share that they worked 12 days before they got a weekend off.

Training was strict. There were penalties at so many levels. Many senior nurses recall the preliminary exams after being in training for 3 months. If you failed, you were asked to leave. It was their way of weeding out the bad apples early in training. So while much of this sounds archaic and foreign to many of you, it built a solid foundation for the nursing profession. Nursing was a disciplined profession where the patient came first. The important thing to remember about yesteryear was nurses were known for their caring ability. Care and compassion is what drove many nurses to remain in the profession. It is no wonder that they called them the ladies with the lamp.

So, that brings me to nursing today.

Women are emancipated and are occupying senior roles and there are changing family dynamics with the breadwinner not necessarily the man of the family. But have they become totally accepted? Do we truly have gender equity and how does this play out in the various spaces, at home, in the boardroom, on the golf course to mention a few? People and communities want value for their money. They want the best possible care and will express their dissatisfaction publicly. Against this landscape, nursing is also facing serious challenges today. 

We have great nurse leaders today as well. The principles that guide nursing leadership today are innovation, globalization, research, and change. We are beginning to see more nurse leaders in executive roles and taking on senior roles at universities. We have had and continue to have deans, deputy vice chancellors and vice chancellors who started out as nurses.

But I also ask myself, what would the leaders of yesteryear do differently around the changes in nursing education. How can we collectively manage the current situation that seems to be exacerbating the shortage of nurses in most countries. What would we have to do differently, in order to make nursing a disciplined profession focussed on the best patient outcomes. Perhaps, some food for thought for us.

In terms of our nursing practice, we have made strides in moving into evidence based practice and critical thinking. The notion of do because I say so, does not work any longer. The nurse of today is questioning protocols and doctor’s orders. They want to be part of the multidisciplinary team and make a contribution to the plan of care.

But we also see many more adverse events. Perhaps, we can take comfort and say it is because we have improved measures and records today. But clinical competence of nursing practitioners are often questioned and we must take responsibility for ensuring the delivery of safe patient care. The caring aspect of nursing is being monitored, measured and critiqued on a daily basis. Unfortunately, most often our report card does not look as great as we would like. What will we need to do differently to change our scores?

The education of nurses in nursing colleges has been with us forever and perhaps, based on the numbers, it was necessary to adopt this mode of provider and delivery. However, this also leads to isolation of the education of nurses. Unlike their university counterparts, nurses trained at colleges are not exposed to other students or disciplines. This may not augur well in terms of interprofessional education, which is being discussed in more health related education circles.

So, a snapshot of nursing today indicates that we have made strides in nursing leadership, evidence based practice, research and nursing education with more nurses acquiring masters and doctoral degrees. But it is going to take collective leadership and focus for us to manage the change in qualifications, regulation and improved practice in nursing. We are the generation that have always been hard on ourselves and had difficulty celebrating our achievements. That takes me to the future of nursing. The generation who will review our legacy.

Once again, it is going to be influenced by the political landscape. Better informed communities making informed choices and demands. People who will not accept the status quo and will want change.  Women will continue to move up the ladder and take on more roles. The challenge will be whether they will come into their own. Will women be supportive of other women in the workplace? There will be new issues on the table then with the future generation demanding work life balance, flexible working conditions and corporates moving into virtual offices.

Leadership in nursing will also take on a new look and feel. The future generation of nurse leaders are going to be critical of their predecessors and would expect change to happen more expediently. Young nurses are going to speak out and may be less inclined to throw caution to the wind. 

Hospital and community settings will also be different. People are already becoming better informed and making their own diagnoses prior to consulting their doctors. Dr Google is always the first point of consultation and if there is any concern, they will proceed to the doctor. Technology is going to be a major disruptor. Access to information and services is going to be so much easier. Online check in will progress from airports to hospitals, and clinics. Electronic health care records are going to allow patients to have access to their own history and move with their records to any practitioner.

Patients will have choice and Quality will be the only differentiator. Hospitals and clinics will need to publish their clinical and quality outcomes, and patients will choose the facility they wish to make use of. Everyone is looking for the ideal experience, so measurements of patient/customer experience will continue to increase and healthcare will become more competitive. Patients will shop around for quality and price in the future before they choose a healthcare provider.

With changes in society and healthcare delivery systems, education of nurses will also need to change. Interprofessional education will become more necessary, as health professionals will work in teams. Students will have access to the latest devices and books may become a thing of the past. No lugging of big bags with books and notes, just one device with everything on it. The concept of travel light comes to mind. I believe nurses will be better educated and will demand higher salaries with improved education, so there will be an introduction of healthcare technicians to take over the administrative and non-clinical tasks .

Clinical competence will be critical for nurses and healthcare professionals with increase in litigation. Patients know their rights and will be well versed with the responsibilities of nurses and other healthcare professionals. The nurse patient relationship will change with a demand for more patient information and follow up care. Families will also become very involved in the care of their loved ones, and home care will be in demand. Institutional care will be limited to acute care and with reduced length of stay. The future sounds like an adventure and I believe it is going to make a difference to healthcare delivery globally.

In conclusion, each period comes with its own achievements and challenges. Yester year was about courage, growth and empowerment of women and elevated education of nurses. Today, it is about innovation, career progression for women, internationalization, evidenced based practice, and research. Tomorrow is going to be about increased technology, casualization of formal employment, work life balance, transformed healthcare and empowered patients and communities.

The post Nursing, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – What has changed or not changed appeared first on InnoHEALTH magazine.

Automation in healthcare – encompassing artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotic process automation – presents a compelling solution to numerous challenges that have long plagued the industry. From handling repetitive administrative tasks to aiding in complex diagnostic procedures and facilitating personalized patient care, automation is demonstrating its potential to vastly improve efficiency, accuracy, and even the scope of what medical professionals can achieve.

In this article, we aim to shed light on the profound impact of automation on the roles of healthcare professionals. We’ll explore how this technological innovation is not just augmenting their work, but is also, in some ways, necessitating a redefinition of their roles. The aim is not to predict a future where human touch is replaced, but to envision one where human skills are elevated and refocused, thanks to the supportive role of automation.

Join us as we navigate this fascinating confluence of technology and healthcare, delving into the implications for the medical workforce, the potential challenges, and the opportunities that await. The future of healthcare professionals is being reshaped by automation, and understanding this transition is vital for every stakeholder in the healthcare industry. Prepare to embark on a journey into the transformative world of healthcare automation and the innovative future it promises.

Augmenting Healthcare Professionals: How Automation Enables Them to Do More

The transformative power of automation in healthcare is not merely about replacing or reducing human roles, but, more importantly, about augmenting them. By automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks, and providing intelligent support for complex decision-making, automation enables healthcare professionals to focus more on what they do best: caring for patients.

Automation in Diagnosis and Treatment: Streamlining Healthcare Processes

In the rapidly evolving field of healthcare, automation has emerged as a powerful tool in enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of both diagnosis and treatment. This application of technology is revolutionizing traditional processes, yielding substantial benefits for patients and healthcare professionals alike.

Advanced algorithms, artificial intelligence, and machine learning play a pivotal role in this evolution. These technologies can analyze vast quantities of data far more swiftly and precisely than their human counterparts. In diagnosis, for instance, automated imaging analysis can identify subtle patterns or anomalies that may be overlooked by the human eye, reducing the chance of misdiagnosis. Similarly, genomic sequencing and analysis, which involves deciphering millions of genetic data points, can be expedited through automation, enabling faster, personalized treatment plans.

In the realm of treatment, automation is improving medication management and reducing prescription errors. Automated dispensing systems in pharmacies and hospitals ensure that the right patient receives the right dosage at the right time. Furthermore, robot-assisted surgeries have shown promise in executing precise, minimally invasive procedures, often leading to quicker recovery times for patients.

Reducing Administrative Burdens: Automating Routine Tasks

Another arena where automation is making significant strides in healthcare is in reducing administrative burdens. By automating routine tasks, healthcare facilities can increase efficiency, decrease costs, and allow staff to focus more on patient care.

One of the key areas is patient scheduling. Automated systems can manage appointments, send reminders to patients, and handle rescheduling, thereby reducing the workload of front-desk staff. Billing and claims management, another labor-intensive process, can also be streamlined with automation, reducing errors and ensuring quicker, more accurate payment processes.

Moreover, electronic health records (EHRs) can be managed more effectively with automation. By automatically updating patient data, tracking health metrics, and flagging abnormalities, these systems can significantly reduce the time healthcare professionals spend on paperwork and allow for more effective patient management.

Streamlining Workflows: Benefits of Automation for Healthcare Professionals

The integration of automation into healthcare goes beyond improving patient outcomes and reducing administrative tasks; it also has the potential to fundamentally streamline workflows for healthcare professionals. By automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, healthcare providers can devote more of their time to tasks that require their unique skills, such as patient consultation and complex decision-making.

In laboratory settings, automated systems can handle high-volume tasks such as sample analysis and data recording, reducing the likelihood of human error, increasing throughput, and allowing lab personnel to focus on interpreting and acting on results rather than data collection.

In a clinical setting, automation tools can help manage patient flow more efficiently. For example, automated triage systems can help sort patients based on the severity of their condition, ensuring that critical cases receive immediate attention.

Moreover, automated decision support systems can provide healthcare professionals with real-time access to patient data, guidelines, and treatment protocols, supporting more informed decision-making and personalized patient care.

Automation, with its ability to streamline workflows, reduce administrative burdens, and enhance diagnostic and treatment processes, represents a significant advancement in healthcare. As the field continues to evolve and these technologies continue to improve, the potential benefits for healthcare professionals and patients alike are vast and promising.

Improved Efficiency and Accuracy: How Automation Enhances Healthcare Processes

The potential for automation to enhance efficiency in healthcare is immense, with significant implications for both the quality and cost of care. At its core, automation streamlines routine and repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable time for healthcare professionals to devote to more complex and patient-centered activities.

For instance, consider the administrative tasks involved in patient management. Manual processes such as appointment scheduling, billing, and maintaining patient records often consume substantial staff time and are susceptible to human error. Automation can significantly simplify these processes, enabling appointments to be scheduled seamlessly, bills to be generated and processed efficiently, and patient records to be updated and retrieved with minimal effort.

Beyond administrative tasks, automation can greatly enhance accuracy in critical healthcare procedures. For example, automated laboratory testing can eliminate manual errors, improve turnaround times, and allow for the processing of a high volume of samples with consistent accuracy. Similarly, in radiology, machine learning algorithms can assist in interpreting imaging studies, helping to detect abnormalities with greater precision and speed.

In essence, automation not only brings about improved efficiency and time savings but also increases accuracy, contributing to safer and more effective patient care

Empowering Healthcare Professionals: Advantages of Automation in Clinical Decision Support

As healthcare continues to become more complex, the value of timely, accurate information in making clinical decisions cannot be overstated. Automation can serve as a powerful tool in providing this much-needed support to healthcare professionals.

One of the key applications of automation in clinical decision support is the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to process and interpret vast amounts of data. This can involve anything from predicting patient deterioration based on real-time monitoring data, to personalized treatment planning using a patient’s genetic and lifestyle information. These predictive analytics can provide actionable insights to clinicians, helping to inform their decisions and ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.

Moreover, automation in the form of robotic process automation (RPA) can help healthcare professionals manage the extensive documentation required in healthcare, reducing the administrative burden and allowing them to focus more on patient care.

On another front, automation in the form of sophisticated medical devices and robots can assist during surgical procedures, allowing for greater precision and leading to improved patient outcomes.

By enhancing the decision-making process and reducing administrative tasks, automation empowers healthcare professionals to utilize their expertise where it truly matters – in direct patient care and critical decision-making processes. It thus holds the potential not only to reshape their roles but also to elevate the level of care that they can provide.

In summary, automation in healthcare represents a powerful tool that can lead to improved efficiency, greater accuracy, and enhanced support for clinical decision-making. As we continue to explore and understand its potential, it’s evident that the landscape of healthcare and the roles of healthcare professionals are on the verge of a transformative shift.

Shifting Roles and Responsibilities: How Automation is Transforming Medical Professionals

In the realm of healthcare, the integration of automation technologies has been a game-changer. Automation is steadily modifying the traditional roles of medical professionals and shaping a new healthcare landscape that is both efficient and patient-centered. Here’s a closer look at how automation is transforming the roles and responsibilities of medical professionals:

Shift from Routine Tasks to Complex Care: The adoption of automation technologies has significantly reduced the need for medical professionals to carry out routine and repetitive tasks, such as data entry, billing, and scheduling. These tasks can now be effectively managed by automated systems, freeing up medical professionals to focus on more complex aspects of patient care. This shift enhances the role of medical professionals, allowing them to prioritize their clinical expertise and interpersonal skills.

Data-Driven Decision Making: Automation technologies like AI and machine learning are exceptionally skilled at processing vast amounts of data swiftly and accurately. In a clinical setting, this means that medical professionals now have a tool that can provide them with data-driven insights and recommendations, enhancing their decision-making process. While the final decision still rests with the medical professional, automation serves as an invaluable support, enhancing precision and personalization in care.

Increased Patient Interaction: As automation takes over the more mundane tasks, medical professionals have more time to interact with their patients. They can devote this time to understanding their patients’ concerns in-depth, explaining their treatment plans thoroughly, and providing emotional support. This leads to improved patient satisfaction and better overall patient outcomes.

Continual Learning and Upskilling: As healthcare automation evolves, there’s a growing need for medical professionals to develop new competencies. They will need to understand the functionality of these technologies, interpret the results accurately, and remain updated on the latest technological advancements. This push towards continual learning ensures that medical professionals remain at the forefront of healthcare innovation.

Ethical Stewardship: The integration of automation in healthcare has surfaced various ethical and legal questions, such as concerns over patient data privacy and the transparency of AI decision-making processes. As such, medical professionals are now finding themselves in positions where they need to engage with these issues. They are being called upon to act as ethical stewards, helping to shape the regulations and guidelines that govern the use of automation in healthcare.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: As automation becomes an integral part of healthcare, there’s a rising demand for medical professionals to collaborate with technical experts like data scientists and engineers. This interdisciplinary approach fosters a comprehensive understanding of how to best leverage these technologies for the benefit of patient care.

In summary, automation is revolutionizing the healthcare industry, paving the way for medical professionals to elevate their roles. By removing the burden of routine tasks and offering enhanced decision-making support, automation empowers medical professionals to provide improved patient care. At the same time, it presents opportunities for continued learning, ethical engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration. As this shift continues, it’s clear that the future of healthcare lies in the symbiosis of human expertise and technological innovation.

The Impact on Patient Care: Improving Outcomes through Automation

Automation has shown immense potential in enhancing patient care and driving improved outcomes. One of the primary ways it does this is by increasing efficiency. By taking over routine administrative tasks such as appointment scheduling, prescription refilling, and billing, automation allows healthcare professionals to devote more time and attention to direct patient care.

Moreover, automation helps reduce errors, a long-standing issue in healthcare. Whether it’s through automated drug dispensing systems reducing medication errors or machine learning algorithms aiding in accurate diagnoses, the implication of such advancements is a substantial improvement in patient safety and care quality.

A transformative example of automation in healthcare is the use of AI-driven predictive analytics. By analyzing a patient’s unique medical data, predictive models can identify potential health risks before they become serious issues. This kind of early detection and prevention strategy leads to better health outcomes and more effective, personalized treatment plans.

In addition, automation also plays a crucial role in remote patient monitoring, especially for chronic disease management. With the help of wearable devices and IoT, real-time health data can be collected and analyzed automatically, enabling timely interventions and improving the management of patient health.

Embracing Technology: Training and Skill Development for Healthcare Professionals

The increasing role of automation in healthcare necessitates a corresponding shift in the skill sets and training of healthcare professionals. Embracing technology must not only involve using automated systems but also understanding their operations and limitations.

As more diagnostic and treatment decision processes incorporate AI and machine learning tools, healthcare professionals need to be adept at interpreting the generated data and recommendations. They must be trained to understand how these systems work, when to rely on them, and when to question their output.

Healthcare professionals also need to learn how to work synergistically with automated systems. In surgical fields, for instance, robot-assisted surgeries are becoming more common. These require not just technical skills to operate the robotic systems but also a new level of coordination and understanding.

Additionally, as automation takes over more routine tasks, there is an increased focus on the ‘human’ skills in healthcare, such as empathy, communication, and ethical decision-making. Healthcare professionals might find themselves spending more time on patient interaction, requiring enhanced skills in these areas.

Embracing automation in healthcare, therefore, involves a holistic approach to training and skill development. It requires not only learning new technological skills but also enhancing and re-focusing traditional healthcare skills to best serve patients in the age of automation.

Challenges of Implementing Healthcare Automation for Professionals

As promising as the advent of healthcare automation is, its implementation is not without challenges. Professionals in the healthcare industry face numerous obstacles when integrating these innovative technologies into their practice.

1. Technological Literacy and Training: One of the foremost challenges is ensuring that healthcare professionals are adequately trained to use new automated systems. This goes beyond basic operation, extending to understanding the principles behind these systems, their limitations, and their appropriate use. Many healthcare professionals may not have extensive backgrounds in technology, making the learning curve potentially steep.

2. Resistance to Change: Healthcare, like any field, can experience resistance to change. Some professionals may be reluctant to trust or rely on automated systems, particularly in high-stakes areas like diagnosis and treatment decisions. Overcoming this resistance requires demonstrating the reliability and benefits of these systems, which can take time and tangible positive results.

3. Data Privacy and Security: With increased automation comes an increase in digital health data, which must be carefully protected. Healthcare professionals have to grapple with ensuring their automated systems are secure and comply with all relevant regulations for patient data privacy. This can be a complex and ongoing challenge, especially with the evolving nature of cybersecurity threats.

4. Interoperability: Automated systems need to be able to communicate with each other to ensure seamless care delivery. However, achieving this interoperability can be difficult, especially when different systems have been developed by different vendors with varying data standards.

5. Ethical Considerations: Automation also raises new ethical questions. For instance, who is responsible when an AI makes a mistake in diagnosis – the developers, the healthcare providers, or the AI itself? Healthcare professionals need to navigate these ethical quandaries, often in areas where regulation has yet to catch up with the technology.

6. Cost: Finally, the cost of implementing automated systems can be substantial. This includes not just the cost of the systems themselves, but also the cost of training staff and maintaining the systems. For many smaller healthcare providers, this financial burden can be a significant barrier.

Despite these challenges, the potential benefits of healthcare automation are enormous. As the healthcare industry continues to navigate these hurdles, the hope is that healthcare professionals can leverage these powerful tools to improve patient care and outcomes. It’s a journey of constant adaptation and learning, but one that promises to reshape the future of healthcare in a profound manner.

Ethical Considerations: Balancing Automation and Human Touch in Healthcare

In the ongoing transformation of healthcare through technology, one significant aspect requires careful consideration – the balance between automation and the human touch. While advancements in technology are creating opportunities for improved diagnostics, treatment, and patient management, it is equally crucial to maintain the human element that is at the heart of healthcare. This section aims to explore the ethical considerations that underpin this balance, discussing how we can best integrate technology to improve care while preserving the empathetic, personal connection between patient and healthcare provider. As we venture further into this new frontier of healthcare, the need for ethical discourse and consideration becomes increasingly paramount.

Preserving Human Judgment: Automation, AI, and machine learning provide invaluable tools for diagnosing and treating patients. However, the final decision should always involve a human healthcare provider. They can consider the wider context of the patient’s condition, including physical, psychological, and social factors, which may not be fully captured by even the most sophisticated algorithms. Human healthcare providers also bring empathy and understanding, which can significantly impact patient experiences and outcomes.

Ensuring Accountability: With automated systems, it can be challenging to assign accountability when things go wrong. If an AI system misdiagnoses a patient, who bears the responsibility – the algorithm, the healthcare provider who relied on it, or the developers who created it? These are complex questions that healthcare needs to address as it becomes increasingly automated.

Safeguarding Privacy: As automation leads to an increase in digital health data, there’s a need for robust measures to protect patient privacy. This involves not just technical security measures but also ethical guidelines about who has access to this data and how it can be used.

Addressing Bias: AI systems are only as good as the data they are trained on. If the training data is biased, the resulting algorithms can also be biased. For instance, if an algorithm is trained on data primarily from one racial or ethnic group, it may not perform as well for other groups. Ensuring equitable care requires ongoing vigilance to detect and address such bias in automated systems.

Ensuring Accessibility: Automation and digital health solutions offer immense benefits, but they also risk widening the health disparity gap. Not everyone has equal access to digital technologies due to factors such as socioeconomic status, age, and geographical location. It’s crucial to ensure that the benefits of automation are accessible to all and do not disproportionately benefit only certain groups.

Maintaining Trust: Patient trust is fundamental to effective healthcare. As automation becomes more prevalent, healthcare providers must communicate clearly with patients about these systems, their benefits, and limitations. This includes gaining informed consent when using these systems, particularly for key decisions like diagnosis and treatment.

Balancing automation and the human touch in healthcare is a complex challenge. Automation provides invaluable tools for enhancing care, but it should be viewed as augmenting rather than replacing the human aspect of healthcare. Maintaining this balance is not only an operational challenge but also an ethical imperative for the future of healthcare.

Overcoming Challenges: Adapting to the Automated Healthcare Landscape

As we navigate the transition towards an increasingly automated healthcare landscape, the challenges that arise offer not just obstacles, but opportunities for adaptation and growth. Below are strategies to overcome some of the key challenges highlighted previously:

1. Enhancing Technological Literacy and Training: Continuous education and training programs need to be in place to ensure that healthcare professionals are proficient in the use of automated systems. Institutions should collaborate with technology providers to create comprehensive training programs that go beyond the mechanics of the technology, incorporating elements of data interpretation, ethical usage, and troubleshooting.

2. Mitigating Resistance to Change: Change management strategies can help overcome resistance to automation. This might include demonstrating the benefits of automation through pilot projects, providing strong leadership support, and involving healthcare professionals in the implementation process. Open communication and transparency about the changes, as well as their implications, can help foster a culture of acceptance and innovation.

3. Prioritizing Data Privacy and Security: Ensuring cybersecurity should be a top priority. This could involve hiring dedicated cybersecurity personnel, conducting regular audits, and ensuring that all technology complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or other relevant local regulations. Regular training should also be provided to all staff to help prevent security breaches.

4. Facilitating Interoperability: Collaboration between different technology vendors and standardization of data protocols can enhance the interoperability of different systems. Adopting open standards and using middleware that can interface with various systems could be key strategies in achieving this goal.

5. Addressing Ethical Considerations: To address the ethical considerations of healthcare automation, healthcare organizations could establish ethics committees that include technology experts, healthcare professionals, and patient representatives. These committees can create guidelines and policies for the ethical use of automated systems in healthcare.

6. Managing Costs: Leveraging government subsidies, grants, and partnering with technology providers can help manage the costs of implementing automated systems. Also, a long-term view should be taken considering the potential cost savings automation could bring in terms of improved efficiency and reduced errors.

Overcoming the challenges of healthcare automation requires strategic planning, ongoing education, and a strong focus on ethics and patient-centered care. By adopting these strategies, the healthcare industry can effectively adapt to this new landscape and harness the power of automation to enhance patient care.

The Future of Healthcare Professionals in an Automated World

As we look towards the future of healthcare in an increasingly automated world, the role of healthcare professionals is not diminishing but evolving. Automation, AI, and robotics are reshaping the medical landscape, transforming healthcare delivery, and redefining the skills required by healthcare professionals. However, the essence of healthcare—human empathy, complex decision-making, and direct patient interaction—remains irreplaceable.

In the automated healthcare landscape, professionals will find themselves spending less time on manual, administrative tasks and more time interacting with patients, using their unique human qualities such as empathy, communication skills, and professional judgment. They will be the ones interpreting and contextualizing the outputs of automated systems, ensuring that these are applied in a way that best serves each individual patient.

At the same time, healthcare professionals will need to become proficient in using new technologies. Lifelong learning will become even more crucial as technology continues to advance. Skills such as data literacy, understanding of AI, and ability to use digital tools will become increasingly important, alongside traditional clinical skills.

Healthcare professionals will also have a crucial role in shaping the ethical application of automation in healthcare. They will be at the forefront of navigating challenges such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, and maintaining human touch in patient interactions. Their insight and expertise will be invaluable in ensuring that automation is used in a way that benefits patients and respects their rights and values.

The future of healthcare professionals in an automated world is one of change, challenge, but also immense opportunity. The advent of automation presents a chance to reimagine and enhance the roles of healthcare professionals, allowing them to provide better care, improve patient outcomes, and find more fulfillment in their work. As we move forward into this future, the focus must remain on leveraging automation to augment the human aspect of healthcare, rather than replace it. Because ultimately, healthcare is about people caring for people, and that’s something no machine can replicate.

Composed by: “Varsha, proficient as a Business Analyst, has an educational foundation in healthcare IT, acquired through a PGDHM from IIHMR Delhi. Her primary interest rests at the intersection of healthcare and technology, with a specific focus on harnessing cutting-edge tech solutions to revolutionize patient care and enhance healthcare systems. Her work areas comprise optimizing healthcare data flow and improving operational efficiency, driving enhanced patient care and system robustness.”

The post The Changing Landscape of Healthcare: How Automation is Shaping the Future of Medical Professionals appeared first on InnoHEALTH magazine.

Technology has been at the heart of the healthcare revolution for years. The evolution of the internet, mobile networks, smart devices, etc., have significantly changed the process of delivering patient care. Gone are the days when people had to wait for hours for a 15-minute doctor consultation. Today, doctor consultation is just a matter of a phone call. Patients can now have physician consultations from the convenience of their homes. And this is just one example of how much technology has transformed healthcare. Digital health and AI is one of the hot topics that people within and outside of the healthcare industry have been talking about recently. This article discusses how AI and digital health is fuelling the next healthcare revolution while redefining healthcare delivery.

What is digital health?

Digital health is a multidisciplinary concept that uses communication and information technologies to help health systems deliver affordable and good-quality care. Digital health also enables healthcare institutions to be efficient and sustainable. Telehealth, mhealth, and wearable devices used to monitor patient status are some of the real-time examples of digital health.

AI or Artificial Intelligence

AI is one of the greatest breakthrough technologies that is changing our everyday life experiences, right from avoiding traffic and online shopping to hospital experiences. While we are already experiencing AI-induced changes in our lives, like personalized movie or music recommendations, and voice-controlled personal assistants such as Alexa and Siri, let us dive in to understand how AI and digital health is transforming the healthcare industry and patient care.

AI can ease the process of detecting invalid claims and accelerate the pace of claim – assessments, processing, approval, and payment through automation.

How AI and digital health is transforming healthcare

1. Optimized workflow scheduling and case prioritization

Workflow management and case prioritization are highly critical in the healthcare domain, as a patient’s life is at stake. The sooner the diagnosis, the earlier the treatment. AI and ML algorithms can aid in optimizing workflow, prioritizing cases, and managing patient flow. Healthcare professionals can navigate hundreds of medical records and identify critical and non-critical cases within seconds using AI and ML algorithms. This will help physicians and radiologists to focus on critical cases on priority and create workflows and patient flows accordingly. Furthermore, AI can also help in automating time-consuming manual tasks like patient data entry, medical claim scrubbing, etc. AI can also facilitate personalized responses to EHR searches.

2. Quick drug discovery

It takes years, or even decades, to synthesize the appropriate drug for an illness. Chickenpox, for instance, was identified in the 1950s. But it took almost four decades to discover the right vaccine for the illness. With AI, drugs for contagious diseases can be discovered and synthesized within months, if not days. A real-time example of how AI can speed up the drug discovery process is the recent pandemic, COVID-19. Almost within a year of the COVID-19 outburst, a relevant vaccine was developed and distributed across the globe with the help of AI. 

3. Quantitative imaging analysis and reporting

Have you ever got a different diagnosis from different doctors for the same problem? If yes, then you probably might have thought which one of the diagnoses is correct. Such different diagnosis from different doctors is primarily due to subjective analysis and reporting. Almost all medical images are studied in a subjective manner – based on the radiologist or physician’s personal opinions, point of view, and interpretations – and have often led to diagnostic errors and incorrect/unnecessary treatment. The shortcomings of subjective analysis and reporting can be overcome only through quantitative imaging analysis and objective reporting.

Quantitative imaging analysis, as the name suggests, is the process of measuring all the elements in a medical image and comparing it against anatomical values to identify deformities and determine the severity of illness. Reports generated from quantitative imaging analysis are known as objective reports and hold detailed information about every element of the scanned body part, including their measurements. However, performing quantitative imaging analysis and generating objective reports is a time-consuming task, which is why most health centers are unable to perform them. But AI can help health institutions perform quantitative imaging analysis quickly and accurately. 

4. Robot-assisted surgery & Virtual nursing assistant

Robot-assisted surgery enabled by AI can help surgeons to perform complex procedures with increased precision, flexibility, and control as compared to conventional techniques. Robot-assisted surgery is gaining more prominence in healthcare and the market size of robotic surgery is expected to cross $7 billion by 2025. Similar to robot-assisted surgery, AI-powered robots can serve as virtual assistants to provide 24/7 support for chronic conditions, monitor patient status, check medication intake, and schedule doctors’ appointments, just the way a nurse practitioner would do.

5. Fraud detection

AI can help in ensuring the security of patient data, which is highly sensitive and at the heart of providing secured and personalized patient care. Also, AI can ease the process of detecting invalid claims and accelerate the pace of claim – assessments, processing, approval, and payment through automation.

According to a report, AI adoption can help US healthcare providers save nearly USD 150 billion by 2025.

6. Precision medicine

Precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, is a medical model where healthcare is customized according to the genetics, lifestyle, and environment of a person. Precision medicine is the exact opposite of the one-drug-fits-all medical model. Numerous studies and experiments have been carried out to understand the potential of AI in precision medicine. And in most cases, AI has been able to classify and solve precision medicine problems in aspects like disease detection and prediction, treatment optimization, etc. Most healthcare providers and professionals believe that AI will take precision medicine to the next level and improve the levels of accuracy and prediction in patient outcomes. They also believe that AI can help in making precision medicine affordable and available to people from rural areas.

Summing Up

AI and digital health are not only beneficial for patients but also providers. Many stakeholders and industry leaders posit that the digital health and AI market is growing with a great potential for ROI. According to a report, AI adoption can help US healthcare providers save nearly USD 150 billion by 2025. Not just that, with medical imaging data growing abundantly and projected to double by the next decade, AI will be the only solution to handle the healthcare data explosion.

Studies state that the growth of AI in healthcare will be driven by the increasing volume of data. Matter of fact, numerous health systems have started embracing AI applications not just in patient-facing clinical processes, but also in diagnostic workflows and tasks associated with medical images. According to a KPMG survey, 89% of respondents stated that AI is already enhancing the efficiency of their systems. 

Many health tech firms are moving from cancer diagnosis and focusing on creating AI algorithms for other health issues like chronic neck and back pain. Synapsica, for instance, is a leading AI health tech firm that has successfully built AI tools for spine problems and injuries. Using Synapsica’s AI tools, Spindle and SpindleX, radiologists can perform quantitative imaging analysis and generate objective reports within minutes. The healthcare industry is one of those industries that transform almost every decade. The current healthcare industry is highly different from what it was a decade ago and will be highly different from what it is now in the next decade. And AI and digital health will be the key drivers of the next healthcare revolution.

Composed by: “Dr. Cherian is presently associated with AIIMS, New Delhi. He is leading all medical operations, research and product vision for Artificial Intelligence. He has established many startup teams for pan-India operations.”

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Dr Jitendra Singh welcomed the financial support extended to Swajal by TDB and said that his Ministry is committed to reaching out to potential small and viable start-ups having skill and talent pool but lacking resources. He asked the CEO & Co-founder of Swajal, Dr Vibha Tripathi, to scale up this technology to help achieve India’s ambitious target of providing clean drinking water to all by 2024, as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  The Minister said that apart from the Central Government’s initiatives like National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) and Jal Jeevan Mission, the private sector should come forward in a big way with state-of-the-art tech solutions to cover nearly 14 Crore households where clean drinking water is yet to reach. Referring to Prime Minister’s 75th Independence Day speech, where he said that in just two years of the Jal Jeevan Mission, more than four and a half crore families have started getting water from taps, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Ministry of Science and Technology is positively contributing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision and Mission of “Har Ghar Nal Se Jal”. 

Dr. Srivari Chandrashekhar, Secretary DST & Chairperson TDB, pointed out that this project is a combination of new emerging technologies IoT and AI, combined with renewable solar energy to cater to the need for pure drinking water in villages and remote areas. Shri Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB, said that the project will empower communities to plan and monitor their drinking water needs with community ownership and will get affordable, accessible, reliable, and clean drinking water 24×7 throughout the year. TDB is committed to supporting such innovative technologies for mass utility. “With the financial support from Technology Development Board, a social impact start-up like Swajal could do wonders. We are looking forward to covering more states in India at the earliest,” said Dr VibhaTripathi, CEO & Co-founder, Swajal.

SOURCE: India Scienc

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CSIR lab to Reach Out North-East Villages through Entrepreneurship Drive

‘Rebooting the Economy through Science, Technology and Research Translations acronymed as ‘RESTART’, the institute had lined-up its various activities for the National Technology Day.

North-East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST) will make all possible efforts to reach out to about 500 villages of north-east India through its various entrepreneurship and skill development programmes in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic. This information has been given by Dr. G Narahari Sastry, Director of the institute. He was addressing the CSIR-NEIST fraternity on the occasion of the National Technology Day through e-mode. Some of these programmes include CSIR-AROMA Mission, Rural Women Technology Park, Science and Technology Interventions in the North-East Region (STINER) and other similar societal missions of the institute to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship in the region. NEIST, based out of Jorhat, Assam, and a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has taken up this initiative in concurrence with institute’s theme “Year of Revitalizing NEIST for Strengthening North East” for the year 2020.

Keeping in tune with the national theme for the day that is ‘Rebooting the Economy through Science, Technology and Research Translations acronymed as ‘RESTART’, the institute had linedup its various activities for the National Technology Day. Notable among these was the entrepreneurship development programme for rural women under the STINER project. The programme was attended by 10 aspiring women entrepreneurs from CSIR-NEIST colony apart from online participation of other entrepreneurs from all over the state of Assam along with CSIR-NEIST staff members.

“Social entrepreneurship oriented towards the social, cultural and environmental needs of the society will be in great demand in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic in the nation”, said Dr Danish Tamuly, Director on Board of North-East Agriculture Technology Entrepreneurs Hub (NEATEHUB), Atal Incubator Centre (AIC) of Assam Agriculture University (AAU). He exemplified the importance of innovative ideas in churning out a profitable venture.

CEO, NEATEHUB of AIC-AAU, Dr. Karthikeyan emphasized on the changing scenario in the business ecosystem and assured that NEATEHUB (AICAAU) is ready to provide all necessary support in CSIR-NEIST endeavor on societal entrepreneurship. Dr. Mantu Bhuyan, Principal Scientist and Principal Investigator of the STINER project, elucidated on the scope and opportunities available under the project for budding entrepreneurs and underscored the technical facilities such as incubation and training facilities that would be made accessible to the needy.

“The optimal use of technology depends on what use we put it in and accordingly it can be a boon or a bane. Our aim should be to serve the society by positive and constructive intervention of science and technology. In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, people are looking forward to the scientific community with high expectations and we need to uphold by living up to their expectations”, said Dr. Sastry.

Credit: India Science Wire

Composed by Umashankar Mishra

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About the author

Major General Ashok Kumar Singh (retd) from the Indian Army has served all over India – Lucknow, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, Agartala, Delhi, Pune, Srinagar, Udhampur and many other places and been on official duties and attended conferences in Austria, Bhutan, Canada, and Sweden. His area of interest is rural health through telemedicine. He is currently serving as an Advisor in Health Informatics at Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences and Technology at Sitapura, Jaipur. He is also running a BSc course in Hospital and Health Information Administration.

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Credits: India Science Wire

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