“The vast majority of what you know to be true is about to change,” Paul Roetzer, founder and CEO of the Marketing AI Institute, recently said in a published interview. Workforce companies serving long-term care are roundly embracing artificial intelligence to address staffing issues that continue to confound administrators and caregivers alike. Here, executives offer views and advice with the goal that their ideas provide a few answers for facilities.
1. Educate yourself and your staff.
A simple query to the popular app ChatGPT yields bountiful advice on various situations staff might encounter in their roles, from performing routine tasks like medication reminders to helping with remote consultations and providing mental health support.
“Skilled nursing facilities have an unprecedented amount of access to tools, including artificial intelligence, to increase efficiency and assist with caregiver workload,” said LeaderStat’s Liz Wheeler, a registered nurse consultant. “Some increase provider accessibility and information systems can assist with data analytics.”
Brandi Kurtyka, CEO of MissionCare Collective, which includes MyCNAJobs, said her company has actually “baked AI” into its employee engagement and retention tool to help companies leverage data to stabilize their workforce.
While employees get more engaged, nursing facilities get access to powerful algorithms to see who’s a “flight risk” for turnover, Kurtyka added.
Staffing firm KARE uses AI to offload repetitive tasks and standardized operations, said Lindsay Evans, the company’s vice president of product. Evans said so-called “chatbots” provide her company with a variety of tools that streamline billing and planning residents’ daily activities.
2. Still, don’t take your eye off the more “conventional” solutions, experts advise.
Through ShiftKey’s strategic investment in OnShift, the company implemented Schedule Automation Marketplace Integration with “incredible results” after launching it earlier this year, said CEO Brandon Tappan. ShiftKey uses other integrated technology solutions to identify patterns in scheduling, demand, available providers, and more to equip facilities with the data and insights to make strategic workforce decisions.
Kurtyka said automation is behind a variety of new applications such as virtual assistants and social engagement tools like virtual reality and digital social platforms.
Wheeler said robotics are being utilized to increase provider accessibility in some areas, which can assist with assessment during off hours or emergent situations. “Ultimately, this will have an impact on rehospitalizations and lead to more positive outcomes,” she added.
3. For now, workforce providers and others caution against overreliance on AI.
Evans believes there is a risk of being “too confident in AI’s output. AI is driven by human-programmed rules and requests and is not meant to fully replace the physical caregiver,” she observed.
“The adoption of new technology in the healthcare space will never replace the care and expertise provided by licensed and certified professionals, but technology can provide facilities and teams with new efficiencies that preserve essential, person-centered care with more limited resources,” said Tappan.
Kurtyka, meanwhile, urged a more measured approach.
“There’s no reason for administrators and nursing managers to fear the incorporation of new technologies like artificial intelligence,” she said. “The best care is the intersection of where humans and technology meet. Better care can be achieved by empowering nursing staff with the right technology.”
4. Even the most ardent supporters of non-human intelligence recognize its limits.
“AI is only as good as the rules that a human programs and the dataset which is utilized,” Evans said. “Not only is it important to remove protected health and personal identifiable information from the dataset, but it’s also important to understand the problems you are trying to solve with AI. Are you aiming to be more efficient, more predictive, or more automated? Starting with the goal and determining the data and processes needed to achieve that goal is necessary to successfully deploy AI.”
“Education and stressing the importance of responsible use is imperative to prevent over-reliance and adverse outcomes,” said Wheeler. “Ensuring all team members are aware of the intent and process of any new technology will help minimize confusion or inappropriate use.”
From the November 2023 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
