Swisslog Healthcare Gathers Pharmacy Leaders to Discuss Workforce Challenges

The panel discussed many topics relating to workforce challenges that the healthcare industry currently faces including labor shortages, employee burnout, recruitment, and retention. The webinar panelists also discussed the importance of embracing new operational technologies and integrations that support the industry’s employees, and how investing in the right technologies can ultimately lead to improving many of the workforce issues the industry is currently experiencing.

“Discussing workforce challenges was the topic for our first webinar because hiring and retaining a vibrant workforce sets the tone for being able to deliver high-quality healthcare to patients,” said Cory Kwarta. “One thing we talked about was the role technology plays in supporting an institution’s workforce, not for replacing workers but for acting as a tool to help workers deliver safety and quality of care, ultimately enhancing what the individual and team can do and contributing to creating a positive work culture.”

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, healthcare industry workforce shortages are forecasted to grow to between 37,800 and 124,000 by 2034. The COVID-19 pandemic has also contributed significantly to these challenges, increasing the urgency behind many employee decisions to leave their hospital positions while employees that do choose to stay are facing burnout due to overtime work.

“I think one of the benefits of implementing technology is job satisfaction,” said Albert Karas. “I think staff are generally geared toward using automation and maximizing their skills to leverage that automation. I think that, in turn, helps with retention and attracting staff to an organization.”

A 2021 NSI National Health Care Retention & Registered Nurse (RN) Staffing Report suggests that the current labor turnover rate is 18.7% and the average cost of an RN turnover is $40,038. These costs, along with others, have a major impact on various elements throughout the healthcare system including patient quality of care, hospital work environment and healthcare financials.

“I think that putting quality and safety first is what technology is really about. I think we’re putting people into better places and putting our patients at the front of quality and safety,” added Kay Dunham. “The nice side effect is that sometimes we do see that technology frees up somebody, so instead of needing three pharmacists maybe we only have two, and that helps with burnout.”

Swisslog Healthcare’s webinar series is set to continue with more discussion on additional topics related to current industry challenges. The next webinar will feature subject matter experts and will discuss various automation and healthcare solutions. To watch a recording of “Combat Labor Shortages in Healthcare”, visit this post on LinkedIn and register for future webinars at https://www.swisslog-healthcare.com/en-us.

About Swisslog Healthcare
Swisslog Healthcare is a leading provider of healthcare solutions, including hardware, software, and services. Delivering transport and pharmacy automation supports medication management for hospitals, pharmacies, and healthcare institutions. Swisslog Healthcare has installed facility-wide automation systems in more than 3,000 healthcare institutions worldwide. The company offers single-source integrated solutions – from consulting to design, and implementation to lifetime customer service. For more information, visit www.swisslog-healthcare.com. 

Swisslog Healthcare is a member of the KUKA Group, a leading global supplier of intelligent automation solutions.

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