From the automation of simple tasks through to AI based programs, automation must be an essential part of our strategy, says Jennifer Nobbs, Head of International Advisory, Beamtree
As the healthcare service strives for better and more efficient systems and delivery, automation should be at the heart of transformation. There’s a view that automated services seek to replace human activity and to an extent that’s true – automated services and systems refer to the creation and application of technologies to minimise human input. However, by controlling and monitoring the production and delivery of products and services, human error can be significantly reduced and care can be delivered in the most efficient and effective way.
Beamtree’s Global Impact Committee recently released a report, More Time to Care, which highlights the enormous potential of automation and digitisation in healthcare. Automated technologies can be adapted to every hospital and healthcare environment. They range from hybrid systems that combine automated and human activity, such as surgical robots, and fully automated systems,for example rules-based programmes or AI-driven systems for accurate diagnosis.
Basic automation describes the automation of simple tasks, covering robotic process automation or software robotics to carry out back-office and administrative tasks. Specific processes can be designed to extract data, fill in forms and collate and send files. These processes can execute specific tasks with speed and precision, with little to no human intervention.
Process automation ensures uniformity through process applications and management, covering appointment scheduling and supply chain management, as well as robotic systems used in pathology laboratories.
AI automation enables programming with logic and rules which mimic human decision-making processes, relying on machine learning which allows the programme to teach itself and make decisions based on solutions it has seen and analysed.
Clinicians spend up to 70 per cent of their time on administration. From the automation of simple tasks through to AI based programmes, automation must be an essential part of our strategy to transform the health system and better support a tired workforce in delivering the best quality care.
Trialling AI systems
In Australia, two doctors at the Sydney Adventist Hospital have built an algorithm to improve patient care delivery.
The Ainsoff Deterioration Index™ was developed from patient demographics, ward-based observations, lab values and trend analysis to create a model index. Using machine learning, the Index is able to detect signs of deterioration in a patient on a ward, ahead of traditional observation methods.
With the aid of a machine led monitoring system, alerts are sent to ward staff before an adverse event takes place by picking up signs a patient is worsening in advance of even the patient knowing.
Having successfully integrated the technology into a live hospital EHR, the Ainsoff Deterioration Index™ is saving precious time compared with ward staff identified monitoring and alerting systems.
Valuing automation
At the moment, patients are having to wait longer than ever for care. This situation is made worse by the fact that users of the system – both patients and healthcare workers – often have to navigate inefficient systems. Automation enables not only a more effective triage system for care, but can provide diagnosis support through AI driven chatbots. Patients no longer need to wait for a doctor to be available; their concerns can be addressed immediately, lowering stress and anxiety levels. The impact of liberating the workforce allows for more concentrated and successful care to those in need.
Unsurprisingly, the healthcare sector has some of the lowest productivity rates while consuming great proportions of national spending, driving the cost of delivering low-productivity care on a huge scale. So it’s clear that the long-term sustainability of healthcare spending is reliant on the productivity gained through automating at least the most basic systems.
The benefits of investing in the automation of administrative processes are unambiguous: efficiency, cost effectiveness, and liberation of the workforce. Automation will not replace the humans in healthcare, but will provide supplementation for simple and repetitive tasks to enable the highly skilled practitioners room to operate at the top of their skill set to enable more people to be serviced within the current workforce limitations. The success of all healthcare services relies heavily upon transformation, and automation is an essential tool.
Building success
For automation to transform the health sector, however, it is essential that it is seen at the heart of systems redesign. This is critical for success.
Clinicians’ time is already stretched and being presented with a new, complex programme can lead to wasted time if it is not welcomed, accepted and valued. So it is essential that automated systems are adopted and integrated with workforce planning, recruitment and training.
Introducing automated services on a piecemeal basis allows each team to adopt the new system and learn the benefits of automation before being presented with a more complex technology. Simple rules-based systems that focus on saving time spent on routine tasks can provide the feeling of liberation, eliminating the threat of the unknown within a team. Encouraging staff to test systems and suggest improvements enables a truly unique relationship with the software, and gives confidence to the idea of automation as a useful and welcome tool.
In support of the slow introduction of transformation systems, a culture of openness and transparency is essential. A strong ethical framework must be in place to secure and maintain the trust of staff and patients. Openness about how data is cleaned and structured for use must be clear and accessible. Clinicians should also be provided with a comprehensive understanding of how they should interact with the systems as tools, and how they remain the sole responsibility for clinical decisions.
Clarity and regulation play a major part in the success of automated systems. Firstly, it is essential that the regulation built around the systems is up to date with the technological developments. Developers, clinicians and healthcare organisations need reliable, effective systems with clear process and evidence requirements, providing transparency and accountability, to give them the confidence to use them.
However, the regulatory framework around these systems is not moving fast enough to accommodate the adoption of automation. It’s essential that frameworks are in place in order for automation to provide support to the health industry while it struggles under increased pressure in the wake of COVID-19. The regulators need to champion evidenced innovations and encourage the healthcare sector to adopt them at scale.
Healthcare organisations are learning health systems, and automation provides an opportunity to facilitate the better use of data and knowledge latent in these systems, and turn them into action. We must harness the power of automation to pursue our shared goals of error-free healthcare, higher productivity and a better patient experience, and we must support our healthcare professionals to seize the opportunities that automation provides.