In the coming year, the UK’s healthcare sector will have to weather many challenges, from nursing strikes to chronic staff shortages. All the while, the pressure will be on to accelerate the digital transformation agenda of the Health and Social Care Act 2022.
However, while the challenges cannot be ignored, there are opportunities too. Here are three ways health tech innovation will help organisations overcome some of their most pressing issues in 2023 and create a bright, digital future for UK healthcare.
Healthcare organisations will invest in health tech innovation to relieve burnout
As we enter 2023, tackling the ongoing burnout crisis amongst healthcare professionals continues to be front of mind for the entire industry. Despite the peak of the pandemic being behind us, its impact still rages on as backlogs continue and staff shortages increase. The pressure to see, treat and discharge more patients at a quicker rate has never been more urgent.
As a result, burnout amongst clinicians is at an all-time high. This puts both patients and those who are treating them at risk. In fact, overworked clinicians are far more likely to be involved in incidents where patients’ safety is compromised. They are also more likely to consider quitting and regret choosing medicine as their career. If significant action isn’t taken quickly, we’re likely to see strike action increase, putting even more pressure on the sector.
While digitising the healthcare industry is not new, in 2023 we can expect health tech innovation investment to accelerate even further, to alleviate some of the strain being placed on clinicians. With recent research discovering that healthcare professionals are spending 13.5 hours per week on clinical documentation, up more than 25% from 7 years ago – it’s clear where changes can – and should – be made. Speech recognition solutions, for example, can be leveraged to help reduce some of the administrative pressure being placed on clinical professionals and enable them to work smarter and more effectively. These technologies are designed to recognise speech and convert that into detailed clinical notes directly in the electronic patient record, no matter how fast they are created. By reducing duplication and supporting cross-departmental standardisation, they can also improve the accuracy and quality of patient records. Most importantly, they enable clinicians to spend more time doing what they spend years training for, treating patients. Equally, it can also support their health and well-being by giving time back ‘to recharge the batteries’ both at work and at home.
Healthcare will reach new digital heights
Health tech innovation investment boomed when the pandemic struck two years ago. Nightingale hospitals were opened in a matter of months, a new online infrastructure was built to enable people to order COVID tests, and telehealth and video consultations became the norm. Whilst this investment waned somewhat this year with the peak of the pandemic in the past, the promise of a digital future for the healthcare industry still lives on.
In 2023 momentum is likely to increase, as doctors and patients alike demand better from their providers. Those who have witnessed the benefits of adopting modern technologies in a medical setting are no longer willing to be behind the times. However, whilst many of the changes made during the pandemic were out of necessity, moving forward there will be a more prominent focus on the digital patient experience and clinician satisfaction. For example, what does a virtual waiting room look like, how do patients interact with healthcare professionals and share their medical history, and how will clinicians get seamless access to patient records, document their clinical notes, and interact with remote patients?
Next year, healthcare organisations will seek to answer these questions and many more. In doing so, they will need to ensure that the technologies they’re investing in benefit the people they’re supposed to – rather than adopting tech for tech’s sake.
The NHS App will promote the Digital Front Door
During the pandemic, the use of the NHS App exploded in popularity. In fact, it was the most downloaded free application in the UK in 2021 and hit over 22 million users at the beginning of this year. Whilst the primary reason for this was the public need to demonstrate vaccination status to visit restaurants and travel to certain countries, the ease and speed at which this modern piece of technology became an integral part of modern medical practice has provided an accelerated boost towards a key building block for the digital future of healthcare in the UK.
In 2023, it is likely that this person-focussed digital front door will open even wider, as hospitals and Integrated Care Systems across the country work with both the NHS and government to further develop and launch similar patient applications and portals. In theory, these new channels should improve the patient experience by ensuring that anyone with access to a smartphone or computer is able to access the health care they need, when they need it. This includes full access to their healthcare records.
This digital front door will also extend to health accessories and at-home monitoring. Wellness and fitness trackers, for example smart watches, have become a part of everyday life for many consumers. As we move into 2023, the next step will be to utilise these accessories to modernise at-home care and improve digital practices. The data these devices gather could enable healthcare organisations to deliver improved and even personalised experiences. In other words, if utilised effectively, they could help ensure that effective healthcare is easier to access than ever before.
By Dr Simon Wallace, chief clinical information officer, Nuance