How to Keep the Human Element in the Hospital of the Future

There is tremendous excitement about new technology that will revolutionize the healthcare industry. Advanced computers will process information faster than ever before and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will help doctors analyze information to make more informed decisions for patients.

While the “hospital of the future” is exciting to think about, it is important to remember that acute care facilities cannot overlook the importance of the human element in healthcare.

Our company was reminded of this truth during the National Healthcare South 2018 conference earlier this year. One of the key talking points was implementing technology that supports more human “presence” interacting with patients.

In other words, the key driver for future technology in your acute care facility should be supporting doctors and nurses with more efficient, streamlined processes to continue serving the needs of patients.

Why is Human Presence So Important for Healthcare?

Studies have shown that patients in acute care facilities recover faster and report higher satisfaction when nurses are present throughout their stay.

While the healthcare industry might be moving toward AI being part of everyday life, you cannot replace human interaction as part of the healing process for a patient.

“Although there is a tremendous amount of science to our practice, there is still necessity to have the art, the communication, and empathy,” says Mary Foley, director of the Center for Nursing Research and Innovation at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing.

Patients need face-to-face interaction, a hug, a prayer, a warm smile, or a conversation about something other than their medical condition. Technology plays an important role supporting more efficient processes in your facility to ensure that nurses spend more time at bedside interacting with and caring for their patients.

A Reminder to Avoid This Risk with New Technology

When new technology becomes available to your facility, there is a risk of placing the technology in the primary position instead of a secondary, support position.

What often happens is operations managers attempt to implement new technology first, then figure out how the technology will integrate into a workflow or the facility design. Instead of improving patient care, this approach often leads to inefficiencies and new headaches. The unfortunate result is additional costs and less time spent serving patients.

Talon recommends that new technology remains in the secondary position to support each key department — nursing, pharmacy, biomed, etc. — and integrate with your existing workflows to improve efficiency.

Maintaining this order ensures that nurses can spend more time at bedside caring for patients and doctors can spend more time applying their expertise to find medical solutions for patients.

How Can Talon Help Balance Technology and Human Touch in Healthcare?

Talon believes in the power of human touch in healthcare. That’s why our mission for acute care facilities is to provide solutions that improve efficiency, creating more human interaction between patients and hospital staff.

We aim to develop solutions such as our MedCab™ and MedCart™ products that optimize your workflows and integrate with new technology to support each key department in your facility.

To help you analyze whether new technology is the right fit for your facility and how our solutions can support your efforts to improve patient care, contact one of our Client Solutions Representatives today!