Artificial intelligence is affecting every facet of the workplace, and healthcare is no exception. Increased burnout among healthcare professionals during and after the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affects retention, workplace morale and patient care. AI can help alleviate some of the stress healthcare workers face, allowing them to have a smoother workday focused on patients. While there are numerous benefits to using AI in healthcare, there are also some significant drawbacks, including increased burnout.
The Issue of Healthcare Burnout
The pandemic amplified the issue of healthcare burnout, exhausting medical professionals. Hospitals also demanded increased patient volume in order to receive higher compensation, but this only further strained medical workers. These factors contributed to decreased job satisfaction, chronic fatigue, increased likelihood of medical errors and high turnover rates.
Healthcare represents one of the most essential industries. With burnout on the rise, it becomes increasingly important to alleviate some of the strain. AI can make that possible if implemented correctly. It can take some of the load off healthcare workers’ shoulders and make them more equipped to provide personalized care to patients. It could also increase their job satisfaction and motivation.
How AI Can Reduce Burnout
AI can alleviate some of the burdensome tasks doctors and nurses face, allowing them to focus more on patient care. Clerical work, such as filling out documents, consumes a significant amount of time and is often tedious. Training AI to complete these tasks gives professionals more time to focus on patients.
Scheduling is another area where AI can help. Nursing is a physically demanding job. Nurses must walk long distances, lift heavy objects, and bend and stretch all day. Physical exhaustion causes burnout for 55% of nurses, and 44% are concerned that this will negatively affect patient care. Scheduling determines when nurses can work and rest. Poor scheduling can lead to back-to-back shifts, resulting in burnout. Allowing AI to create the schedule and calculate when nurses need breaks can provide them with proper time to recuperate.
AI is already being used effectively in healthcare for predictive analytics. Some models can predict what issues will arise with patients and when they will need different types of care. This can help doctors prepare for situations before they arise, giving them valuable time and ensuring they have all the necessary tools and expertise to perform effectively.
How AI Can Exacerbate Burnout
Despite its potential benefits, AI can also worsen burnout. For example, it can be a stressor for doctors, nurses and technicians trying to incorporate it into their workflow. If people are accustomed to doing things a certain way, changing processes quickly can hinder efficiency before it improves it, leading to burnout. This could lead to stalled operations and inadequate medical care for patients.
Managing AI systems can also strain cybersecurity teams, as adding new technology requires ongoing monitoring. Workers must add managing the new AI system to their already heavy workload, which can lead to fatigue. If people are growing increasingly burned out, AI might not seem worth it. Given the current shortage of healthcare workers, managing AI might also fall to someone already overloaded with work.
Another potential drawback of implementing AI is overreliance on it, which may cause workers to become less qualified to perform their jobs effectively. If, for some reason, the technology is not functioning properly, the professionals will not know how to function without it, which could potentially impact patient care. It also brings worries about job insecurity, as people tasked with performing clerical work may feel concerned about AI replacing them.
How Healthcare Organizations Should Approach AI Usage
It all comes down to the intent of the healthcare organization. Using AI to completely replace workers is not a recommended approach, as the technology still requires constant human supervision, especially in healthcare settings. If an organization chooses to use AI, it must be intentional in how it implements it.
Expecting workers to understand it right away and increase productivity and patient satisfaction will only hinder AI’s performance. Allowing nurses, doctors, technicians and other healthcare workers time to gradually adjust and learn how AI works will help organizations implement the new technology effectively.
Companies should strive for ease of implementation instead of immediate rewards. Being mindful and intentional is a necessary part of effectively using AI to decrease, rather than exacerbate, healthcare burnout.
Navigating the AI Landscape in Healthcare
AI offers the potential to alleviate administrative burdens for healthcare workers and provide predictive insights, freeing up professionals to focus on patient care and potentially increasing job satisfaction. However, AI can also create new stressors, increase workloads and foster an overreliance on technology. Ultimately, its success in reducing burnout hinges on a thoughtful approach. By prioritizing ease of implementation, adequate training and supporting, rather than replacing, workers, healthcare can utilize AI to create a more fulfilling work environment.
By Zac Amos, ReHack