Gen AI: Empowering healthcare pros to focus on patient care

Our research and client experiences reveal how gen AI is already making the sector more productive and better focused.

In the healthcare sector, worker shortages and staff burnout were a reality even before the pandemic put those challenges under the spotlight—and they’re not going away Even with healthcare employment having grown at a historic pace in the last few years, the World Health Organization projects a shortfall of 10 million health workers by 2030.

Addressing this complex, entrenched challenge will require more than growing the healthcare workforce; in addition, caregivers and health practitioners must be less burdened and more productive. Today, for instance, administrative tasks take up too much of their time, leaving less time for patient care.

The arrival of generative AI could help change this trajectory. With its ability to automate the immense amounts of clinical documentation and other repetitive tasks healthcare practitioners need to do every day, this powerful technology will enable healthcare organizations to increase productivity without putting more stress on staff.

In our recent survey of 300 C-suite, IT and operational leaders, we found that forward-thinking hospitals and healthcare systems are using generative AI to automate routine tasks. As a result, doctors and support staff have more time to do what their vocation calls for: patient care.

Generative AI's value in the healthcare sector extends beyond administrative tasks. It’s also becoming a key part of the patient journey by quickly diagnosing non-emergency conditions, thereby saving time, and providing 24x7 first-line medical support. Our healthcare clients are using generative AI to divert non-urgent calls to self-service options, thus freeing staff to focus on more urgent and complex cases.

Our research, expertise and client experiences suggest that generative AI’s role in healthcare will only grow to encompass more advanced use cases.

To learn how healthcare leaders can steer the implementation of generative AI in their organizations, read our article, Five principles of gen AI for healthcare.