Request: What are 4-5 challenges facing healthcare companies as they onboard new

technologies?

INSIGHTS

- The four challenges surrounding healthcare companies as they undergo new technologies
are cost of technology, issues concerning process and activities, complexity of new
technology, and the fear that the new technology will implode workflow.
- According to ASQ, the major block on implementing new technology is the staff and
physicians’ resistance to change because they are unwilling to learn new skills.
- According to a survey facilitated by ASQ, 70% of the surveyed people feared that the
new technology will slow down their workflow.

In this study, we found that the four challenges facing healthcare companies as they onboard new
technologies include cost of technology, issues concerning process and activities, complexity of
new technology, and the fear that the new technology will implode workflow. Below is a
detailed explanation of our methodology and findings.

METHODOLOGY

We initially started the research by searching for relevant information regarding the challenges
that healthcare companies face when new technologies are introduced from online surveys,
literature reviews, and medical journals. The online surveys we found have global focus. We
then assumed that the challenges a healthcare company in Europe face in onboarding new
technologies, a healthcare organization in America is also facing similar issues. This is proven by
the surveys that identify the reaction of staff to computerized decision support systems in
hospitals in Italy and another study that analyzed the innovation introduced in intrapartum foetal
monitoring practice in Australia where the staff believed that the new technology may reduce the
professional autonomy or may be used against them during medicolegal controversies.
Moreover, the healthcare study of America Society Quality (ASQ) on September 2016 showed
the healthcare quality improvement survey indicating that the major barrier on implementing
new technology is the resistance to change from staff and physicians who are unwilling to learn
new skills or fear that the technology will slow down their workflow. Lastly, we gathered
information from medical journals to find solutions to the challenges mentioned.

MAIN FINDINGS

COST OF NEW TECHNOLOGY

Health IT implementations may be costly and complicated. These involve dozens of
stakeholders, and often face up against harsh deadlines. Vendor partnership helps combining new
technology with workflows. An excellent vendor acts as both consultant and educator since
he/she makes the hospital staff comfortable with new technology and reveals strategies to
optimize workflow.

ISSUES CONCERNING PROCESSES AND ACTIVITIES

Most articles used in the “Implementing Medical Technological Equipment in the OR” study
revealed that introducing new technological equipment affects processes and activities of
employees in the operating room (OR). Communication with significant stakeholders is one of
the key factors to prevent errors while introducing new technological equipment. Using updated
checklists is one of the effective communication tools that regulate activities and the workflow
for stakeholders including surgeons, anaesthesiologists, and surgical supporting staff. Task
deconstructions of engaged employees are used to examine the impact of a new technology on
performed activities.

COMPLEXITY OF NEW TECHNOLOGY

The study of ASQ conducted on September 2016 showed the healthcare quality improvement
survey mentioning that the major block is the resistance to change from staff and physicians who
are unwilling to learn new skills. For an implementation to be successful, the staff needs to be
engaged in activities related to the new equipment including training, setting up, using and
disassembling medical equipment, and updating corresponding protocols and checklists. By
listening to, engaging with, and educating front-line staff, hospitals can significantly increase
their chances of success to adopt with the new technology.

THE FEAR THAT THE TECHNOLOGY WILL IMPLODE WORKFLOW

The study of ASQ on September 2016 through healthcare quality improvement survey showed
that 70% of the surveyed people feared that the new technology will slow down their workflow.
A study conducted in Brandenburg on major stakeholders in the local health care revealed that
some medical professionals believe that the new technology would interfere with their ability to
make independent diagnoses and relationships with different patients. Furthermore, the doctors
feared that the new technology would be a means of management control. Accepting digital
solutions and innovative medical technology by patients and professionals depends on
understanding their anxieties and insecurity. It also depends on understood risks including
whether the technology delivers secure, reliable, and effective care. For hospitals and health
systems, especially those that aim for new technology integration, the first step is assessing the
needs and potential impact to workflow.