From an executive perspective, investing in software systems that reduce administrative burdens, improve employee engagement and patient experience, and limit data input errors is a no-brainer. However, to capture all of the benefits of a fully functioning software stack, your healthcare organization’s staff needs to be on board.
While your team might conceptually be aligned with the advantages of new technology, their confidence in using the platform will make the difference in a positive implementation.
To set your staff and the software system up for success, we’ll walk through designing a personalized, intentional software training process for your healthcare practice in this article.
How Training Should Inform Technology Procurement
Planning a software training program doesn’t start after your practice has bought a platform. Rather, introducing the technology to your staff should be one of the key factors in your initial purchasing process.
Alongside the practice’s overall strategy, consider the following training-relevant components as your healthcare organization’s leadership investigates software solutions.
Current staff roadblocks
Your executive team is likely already using quantitative data points (e.g., average patient wait time and percentage of successful payment collections) to determine what software would most benefit your practice. But don’t miss out on another valuable data source: staff feedback.
For instance, perhaps your front desk team shares that they are frustrated with the current intake paperwork workflow. A solution that streamlines and digitizes the patient intake process will likely be well-received.
Eager learners who have connected the purpose of the training with a direct benefit they’ll see in their everyday tasks are engaged and more likely to successfully onboard with the software. The roadblocks and frustrations that cost your team time and create bottlenecks are strong indicators of the features and capabilities your team should prioritize in your software solution procurement.
Intuitive interfaces
Focusing on human-centered design for your software solution also eases the training process with your organization’s staff. Select technology that feels familiar and easy to navigate. This will set users at ease, especially if your staff is a multi-generational workforce.
To gauge the interface’s effectiveness, consider demoing platforms you are considering with a small group of your organization’s staff. This group should include relevant staff from across departments to test the platform’s suitability for different job functions.
Additionally, consider the design of the patient-facing interface. Your staff will need to answer any questions and serve as the primary point of contact for patients navigating the system, so ensure the design is user-friendly and cohesive with your existing website. Not only will this enable your staff to better serve patients, but Kanopi Studio’s guide to digital design for healthcare also notes that the ideal digital appearance can “give current and prospective patients confidence in your quality of care.”
Vendor support
To lift the burden of creating your own training materials off your organization, assess each potential software solution’s support capabilities.
A few support features that might help your practice train staff include:
- Full-service implementation and onboarding
- Dedicated point of contact
- Help desk center
- Ad hoc training resources
Through software updates, new innovations, and onboarding new team members, your staff will constantly be learning. That’s why it’s essential to choose a technology partner that understands this and lays the foundation for a productive, long-term working relationship
How to Create a Supportive Learning Environment
Rolling out a new workflow, platform, or policy can be a stressful time in any organization. However, by connecting the foundation of your training with your practice’s core values and creating a supportive environment, you can assuage this anxiety.
One common reaction that employees have to the introduction of new technology is a fear that their jobs will be eliminated. While every organization is different, be sure to address this concern with your staff. Leveraging automation and innovation can actually improve the employee experience. Promptly’s guide to healthcare automation describes its benefits as increasing staff retention by mitigating burnout, increasing revenue generation, and reducing risks associated with healthcare data.
Here are a few practices your healthcare organization can include in your software training plan:
- Offer risk-free practice sessions. Give employees the opportunity to navigate the software and launch workflows in a practice setting. This way, they can become comfortable with the platform’s features without accidentally manipulating sensitive patient data erroneously.
- Provide role-specific guidance. Your healthcare organization has many roles, all working together to provide the best patient experience. For successful training, reduce employees’ cognitive load by initially training them on the software features and workflows that are relevant to their duties.
- Leverage micro-learning. Particularly in a healthcare context, your staff will likely be learning the platform in short bursts due to urgent patient responsibilities. Design training in small lessons that users can start and stop as they need. In addition to being necessary to accommodate healthcare worker schedules, micro-learning is also generally recommended for software training.
- Record training sessions. Ensure any training sessions are recorded and accessible for all relevant staff members. Not only does this support staff members who may not have been able to attend, it can also be used for new employees who join later or for reference if staff members need support in the future.
- Consolidate materials. Dedicate a centralized location for storing all training materials for your platform. The platform will likely have a learning center repository within it, but any training videos you record, standard operating procedures (SOPs) for your organization’s specific workflows, and the contact information for your dedicated representative should all be in one storage location. This saves time in the future when troubleshooting and reduces the likelihood that you will have to replicate a resource unnecessarily.
By creating a robust training program for your staff, they’ll be able to manage the transition from manually completing tasks, like scheduling patient appointments and securing positive patient reviews, to leveraging automation without any hiccups.
Your organization’s intention behind introducing software is not to amplify the personal element of healthcare. With the support of cohesive systems that give your staff time back in their day, you’re not only improving the patient experience but also supporting a great work environment for your staff.
