Key Takeaways
- Healthcare leaders emphasize the need for better nursing representation in tech discussions.
- Nurses must develop skills to effectively communicate their value in tech adoption projects.
- Technological solutions must be integrated into nursing workflows to ensure successful implementation.
Nursing Perspectives in IT Governance
Susan Grant, the chief clinical officer at symplr, addressed the importance of including nursing perspectives in technology discussions within healthcare. She noted her observations from last year’s conference, emphasizing that while nursing was a topic, nurses were not at the forefront of conversations. Grant urged nursing leaders to enhance their skills to engage effectively in tech adoption projects. She stated, “We need to upskill ourselves. If we’re going to be at the table, we have to be prepared to have the dialogue.”
Bonnie Clipper, founder of the Virtual Nursing Academy, echoed this sentiment during a session focused on the intersection of nursing and emerging technologies. She articulated the need for tech companies to better comprehend the nursing profession and its contributions. “We’re looking for partners that want to work with us,” Clipper stated, stressing that nurses were often undervalued by technology providers, who sometimes reduce their roles to that of an AI or chatbot.
Whitney Staub-Juergens, vice president and COO of transformation operations at HCA Healthcare, shared her experiences in developing AI tools with Google Cloud to refine nurse handoff processes. She highlighted the complexities of handoffs, explaining that they involve much more than the simple transfer of information. “The nurse will go into the electronic health record and pull out a ton of information… starting to lay out the pieces of the chess board. That’s high, strategic thinking and that’s really complex,” she said.
The discussions underscored that technological solutions not thoughtfully integrated into nurses’ workflows are unlikely to succeed. Clipper reinforced the point by emphasizing that effective solutions must reflect real nursing experiences. “You’ve got to live in our shoes. You’ve got to figure out what the issues are, and you can’t do that if you’re not talking to nurses,” she concluded. This highlights the critical need for a collaborative approach between technology developers and the nursing profession to improve healthcare outcomes.
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