Tech conglomerate Philips recently released its Future Health Index 2024 report, which examines how healthcare leaders assess their organizations’ capacity to deliver quality care to all patients. It surveyed 3,000 healthcare leaders across 14 countries.
The report highlighted the widespread impact of staff shortages on the healthcare industry.
According to the survey, 66% of healthcare leaders say that the shortages are harming staff well-being. Meanwhile, 55% are concerned about an increase in staff resignations.
Over three in four healthcare leaders (77%) say that insufficient staffing is causing delays in patient care. A spokesperson for a U.S. hospital said that some patients have had to wait eight to 12 hours to receive care in the emergency unit.
Technology as a key solution
According to the survey, 92% of healthcare leaders believe automating repetitive tasks and processes is critical to addressing staff shortages. In addition, 89% also think that automation will allow healthcare professionals to perform at the highest level.
Additionally, 29% of leaders say that their organizations have already invested in generative artificial intelligence (AI) and 56% plan to invest within three years. Healthcare leaders believe generative AI can boost efficiency and help extract more insights from patient data.
But healthcare professionals don’t share these sentiments. Around 65% of leaders report that their people have reservations about using automation in healthcare, citing quality assurance among the primary reasons.
Thus, healthcare leaders are approaching AI with caution. Around 85% are concerned about the risk of data bias in AI applications, which can widen gaps in health outcomes. The report states that more transparency, continuous training, and ethical policies are key strategies for mitigating this risk.
The healthcare workforce deficit is forecasted to worsen in the coming years, making the integration of automation and AI in healthcare a priority. But the divide in the attitude between healthcare leaders and healthcare professionals can slow this down.
Addressing this challenge might require healthcare systems to work with external partners or outsourcing vendors to integrate these technologies.
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Future Health Index 2024: Better Care for More People. (n.d.). Philips. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://www.philips.com/a-w/about/news/future-health-index/reports/2024/better-care-for-more-people
GlobeNewswire. (2024, June 18). Future Health Index 2024 global report: Healthcare leaders turn to AI to address critical gaps in patient care. Retrieved from https://www.morningstar.com/news/globe-newswire/1000966981/future-health-index-2024-global-report-healthcare-leaders-turn-to-ai-to-address-critical-gaps-in-patient-care
Thomas, N. (2024, July 16). AI has a big future for healthcare but only if workers can embrace it: report. Fierce Healthcare. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/ai-and-machine-learning/ai-has-big-future-healthcare-only-if-workers-can-embrace-it-report
