Remembering the Human in Healthcare Technology
Key Takeaways From the HIMSS 2021 Conference
Whether you joined in person or online, this year’s HIMSS conference was a powerful opportunity to reflect upon the role technology has played throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our industry pivoted to telehealth almost overnight — bringing with it a greater need for cybersecurity and support for remote workforces. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have helped us disseminate test results and communicate with patients in quarantine. And more advanced robotic process automation (RPI + AI) has been used to free up clinical staff and streamline services. At HIMSS, everywhere you turned was another example of digital transformation improving the delivery of healthcare.
During the HIMSS Digital session entitled “The Future of Healthcare,” it was exciting to see how health systems, payers, clinicians, patients and health/IT providers have all focused on digital health and transformation in their own ways. And yet, according to the 2021 HIMSS State of Healthcare Report, we still face significant challenges to clinical adoption.
Let’s look at a few key take-aways:
- 92% of clinicians have recommended the use of digital health tools for their patients
- 78% of clinicians believe that the pandemic has resulted in helpful changes like the adoption of virtual care, telehealth, etc.
- Yet only 57% of clinicians believe that digital health tools are user friendly and easy to learn
Clearly, clinicians support our industry’s digital transformation. So why are nearly half of them having difficulty with the resulting innovations?
Barriers to Adoption
According to the report, there are several important factors keeping them from adopting new technology more readily:
- 61% of clinicians cited a lack of interoperability between IT systems
- 41% have concerns about patient data security
- 39% note that new innovations don’t fit into their current workflows
Clearly, lack of technology is not the issue. But in order for our innovations to deliver their full value, we must make life easier for the user — especially when that user is an overtaxed clinician in the throes of a global pandemic.
Keeping Humans at the Heart of our Innovations
At this year’s HIMSS, the human element was perhaps more visible than ever before. Whether in conference rooms or through our computer screens, we united as human beings passionate about improving healthcare through technology. And for those of us working at the intersection of patient care and tech, it was just what we needed.
At Junum, we are focused on technology innovation that automates nutrition care workflows while making sure nutrition data is accessible to everyone — patients, caregivers and clinicians. Schedule a demo today to learn how we can help your hospital.