According to a Nursing Times survey of 2,200 nurses, eight out of 10 nurses felt under more pressure at work than they were 12 months ago. And nearly 73% of respondents said they’d suffered from symptoms of work-related stress, such as physical or mental health problems, in the past year. Now, compare these results with the current state of our medical workforce — the circumstances have only intensified.

Health care facilities operate differently today than they did a decade ago, or even just five years ago. The industry is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, which sparked a massive rate of attrition in the medical field. This steady stream of medical professionals out the door has left remaining staff with increased patient numbers and significant levels of burnout, exhaustion and lack of support.

Health care organizations are struggling with hiring, onboarding and training, not to mention retaining their existing talented employees. As of late, departments are feeling the strain of understaffing and increased workloads. The current shortage of health care professionals has health care systems worldwide over leveraged and underserved. The ones who leave don’t plan to return to the industry, adding another crux to the nursing crisis. In fact, an estimated 1.2 million new registered nurses will be needed by 2030 to quell the high demand for medical services.

Despite these hindrances, facilities and their employees are still expected to deliver a high standard of care while staying within budget and complying with federal regulations. It’s vital for health care facilities to comply with all industry standards concerning quality patient care. The laws and regulations within the health care industry change frequently based on new discoveries, processes and systems that are introduced. This can create a complex work environment that’s stressful for health care professionals. When medical facilities and professionals have hundreds of patients to worry about, staying compliant with these changing regulations can be difficult to manage.

Improving the Patient Experience with the Right Digital Solution

Medical professionals play an integral role in their patients’ experiences, from prescribing the right medications to providing morale boosts and a comforting presence. They directly impact others’ lives, making it all the more important to establish a system that will optimize learning and development (L&D) without it being overly time-consuming and affecting patient care.

The clinical side of health care today is powered by constantly improving technological innovation, but the administrative side often still uses outdated paper-based systems. It’s vital that health care providers begin taking advantage of digital training technology through the use of a health care compliance software. Adoption of cloud-based software can allow providers to maintain the highest level of professionalism and compliance and keep their team knowledgeable and up to date. Outdated administrative systems can make a department vulnerable to mistakes and extensive margins of error, not to mention wasted valuable time that can be much better spent caring for patients. Health care compliance software can improve productivity in several areas, including:

• Credentialing: An expired license or outdated information can put a health care organization in danger of getting fined or even sued. Compliance software can help keep track of important documents. You can manage onboarding, enrollment and various certifications all in one place.
• OSHA, HIPAA and other regulations: Industry violations can result in monetary penalties, remediation and the loss of patient confidence or a positive reputation. This is why consistently tracking gaps in compliance is essential to prevent data breaches and information loss.
• Education courses and training: Digital training courses make data universally accessible to everyone on the health care team. Tracking employees’ progress ensures their comprehension of industry policies and procedures, improving their job capabilities.

Strained health care organizations can turn to automation in cloud-based software systems to save professionals energy, time and effort so they can better serve their patients. The adoption of this health care software can increase productivity, reduce costs and create safer work environments that improve patient satisfaction.

Fostering a culture that allows health care staff to easily improve their skills and grow professionally is mandatory to keep your organization prepared … for anything. Using digital compliance software can allow every team member to thrive and deliver high-quality care to the people who depend on them most. Because at the end of the day, the newfound efficiency provided to health care professionals by the adoption of such a cloud-based solution will result in happier patients, as their providers can spend more time caring for them and less time tied up with administrative tasks.