Upskilling healthcare workforce: a digital transformation necessity
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — A significant portion of healthcare employees will require upskilling to meet the growing demand for digital transformation.
AI-Healthcare framework
In collaboration with NHS England, Alan Davies, program director for the University of Manchester’s new Clinical Data Science, developed an artificial intelligence (AI) and digital healthcare technologies capability framework.
The initiative aims to identify the necessary skills and training required by healthcare workers across various disciplines.
This framework serves as a guide for healthcare organizations to align their workforce development plans with digital transformation goals. This will also aid the sector with the growing demand bolstered by an aging population.
The Topol review, published in 2019, highlighted the potential of digital transformation in addressing the challenges faced by the healthcare system, complex medical needs, and the integration of new medical innovations like genomics and precision medicine.
Key challenges to digitizing healthcare
However, to fully harness the benefits of digital transformation, a widespread set of advanced digital capabilities is needed, building upon existing digital literacy skills.
This includes proficiency in areas such as health data, artificial intelligence, and related digital health technologies.
While digital transformation also involves implementing technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data processing.
“Presently, the NHS lags behind many other industries in its use of technology,” Davies noted.
According to him, there are various factors, including the magnitude of the healthcare industry. The workforce, which comprises medical professionals of varying ages, is also a major obstacle to expanding digital literacy.
“The infrastructure needs [modernizing] in many places to support these innovations; not just digital infrastructure, but also physical – including simple things like having enough power points, or appropriate space to implement solutions (such as robotics in surgical areas),” Davis added.
