The nurses who staff our hospitals don’t get the credit they deserve. They have crazy schedules, are forced to work hard throughout their shifts and are constantly being asked to take on more and more responsibilities without being properly compensated for their extra workloads. Being human, they can only push themselves so hard before things like stress and fatigue start to take a toll on them and their work.
Sadly, the strain of the job often leaves nurses feeling emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted. Once burned out, they can’t adequately take care of themselves, let alone their patients. As a society, we can’t afford to have our healthcare workers being worked so hard that they start suffering from burnout. Given the nature of their job, they’re going to find themselves in a stressful environment no matter what. However, things can be done to help them and this will benefit all of us in the end.
If all nurses suddenly had access to more automated devices, their job would become a lot less taxing, especially overnight. The machines could handle the mundane, repetitive tasks that nurses are forced to perform on a daily basis. We’re talking about the kinds of tasks that healthcare workers tend to make mistakes while doing when they’re rushed, tired or stressed.
The devices could automate the collection of vitals and dispense medication to patients. Not having to worry about taking temperatures, giving pills or anything like that, nurses would have extra time to devote to more important matters. They would also be able to take some time to truly speak with their patients and work their shifts without having to feel like they’re running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
It should be noted that burnout is actually recognized as a major problem in the healthcare system, as it is causing a high rate of turnover in the field. In 2014, A Grand Valley State University report revealed that even though colleges and universities in Western Michigan were generating nearly 750 new nurses annually, there still weren’t enough nurses to meet the projected annual demand. Unfortunately, many nurses only stick with the profession for a short time or retire early because they just can’t take the stress of the job. Patients would definitely benefit from having nurses with many years of experience tending to them, so we need to do whatever we can to keep our nurses working in their positions.
At Medipense, we are developing the new RxPense® Hub to help alleviate many of these problems, and to help nurses, health care professionals and institutions realize better patient outcomes with fewer resources. In addressing the shortage of nurses, an interesting result of this automation is that while bringing RxPense® devices into hospitals would make things much easier for nurses, it would also reduce the number of nurses the healthcare system needs. Not having to worry about collecting vitals or administering meds, recording adherence or documentation, existing nurses could see and care for more patients than they do at present.
Let me be clear, we do not expect smart homecare devices to put anyone currently working out of job because, quite simply, we don’t have enough healthcare professionals as it is, so putting the smart machines to use in hospitals would be a win-win situation for everyone. It’s something we need to consider moving forward.
