Healthcare Execs Push to Automate Workflows, Improve Supply Chain Management

The majority of respondents (84%) believe the quality of patient care would improve if nurses, physicians and non-clinical healthcare workers had access to collaboration tools.

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Approximately 80% of executives plan to automate workflows in the next year to improve supply chain management in the healthcare field, according to a report from Zebra Technologies Corporation.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the efficiency of both clinical and administrative workflows,” says Chris Sullivan, global healthcare practice lead, Zebra Technologies. “As a result, today’s healthcare leaders face the challenge of recalibrating technology systems to better support the needs of clinicians and patients.”

From Zebra Technologies Corporation:

  • About three-quarters plan to use locationing technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID) to better track equipment and specimens and improve patient flow and security. They are also turning to locationing solutions to create more dynamic workflows and improve staff efficiency, safety and compliance.
  • Just as many executives say they will integrate visionary solutions like Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, prescriptive analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to help improve both inpatient and outpatient care.
  • The majority of respondents (84%) believe the quality of patient care would improve if nurses, physicians and non-clinical healthcare workers had access to collaboration tools and the convenience of using their mobile devices to access healthcare applications.

“Improving team communication is now a top goal of many hospitals, and executives are highly concerned about preventing the spread of infection and current staff burnout,” says Rikki Jennings, chief nursing informatics officer, Zebra Technologies. “There is also a push to automate the orchestration of high traffic areas such as emergency rooms and operating rooms in the next year, which requires departmental staff to have mobile devices in hand.”

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