Leveraging Technology to Reduce Burnout and Improve Workflow for Nurses

Learn about how integrating innovative technologies into nursing workflows can help reduce burnout, streamline processes, and ultimately improve patient care.

Read the full interview: 

Please share your name, title, and professional history. 

I’m Dan Clark, cofounder & CEO, Linear Health Sciences. I’m an industrial engineer by training and have worked in the medical technology field for more than a decade with a focus on innovation and scalability. 

Why is burnout a challenge in the nursing industry, and what are some strategies that health care systems can implement to support and prevent burnout among nursing staff? 

Nurses are being asked to do too much with too few resources. The chronic shortage of nursing staff, constant downward pressure on costs for hospital management, and the subsequent negative impact on patient care are dispiriting and destructive of morale. 

Can you speak to the importance of streamlining processes for nurses to improve efficiency and patient care? 

Anything that makes it easier and faster for nurses to deliver care ultimately benefits patients while limiting redundant activity that can potentially increase patient risk. For example, an IV set that never needs replacing, but costs slightly more, creates savings not only by not doubling in price when it fails, but also via the smoother workflow. And, most importantly, the patient benefits from uninterrupted therapy.

How can technology be leveraged to enhance communication and collaboration among health care providers for better patient care? 

Technologies that facilitate communication can improve the continuity of care for patients, enabling caregivers to collaborate within and between shifts to ensure that the care being delivered is consistently gold standard.

What are some innovative devices or solutions that you believe have the potential to heavily reduce burnout and streamline processes? 

There are numerous examples of such solutions in vascular care, including safety release valves/connectors to prevent IV dislodgement, enhanced IV securement, needle-free blood draws, antithrombus biomaterials for catheters, and ultrasound-guided catheter insertion.

What are some key considerations for health care organizations when implementing new technologies to ensure successful adoption by staff? 

It is important that nursing staff are comfortable with using the technology, but even before that the technology must be designed to easily slip into workflows while minimizing overly burdensome training requirements, rather than disrupting them. Ideally, the technology is intuitive for users and easily adapted into the normal flow of care.

Is there anything else you’d like to share or a key message for our audience? 

The impact of nursing burnout on patient care (and also health care costs) can be eased by integrating technological advances that have shown their efficacy, reinforcing best practices with training, rewarding competence, and creating a culture of accountability.