How an intranet can empower frontline healthcare workers

Keeping the healthcare industry on the pulse in the digital age

Burnout and disengagement at work are a huge issue for healthcare workers. When they’re on the frontline, these challenges can pack an even more urgent punch. A recent survey by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found a direct correlation between work burnout and engagement levels among healthcare professionals. Not only is low engagement a precursor to high staff turnover but it also has a worrying impact on patient safety. Combine this with the unique challenges faced by healthcare workers on the frontline, such as navigating complex systems to find up-to-date information quickly, and you have the perfect storm for disadvantage.

While it may be impossible to alleviate all of the stress that comes with performing lifesaving work under tight timelines, leaders could be taking better advantage of the digital technology on offer to level up their support. With the implications of burnout and disengagement at work being dire, it’s high time to make rapid and accelerated progress towards a better employee experience for healthcare workers on the frontline. A study conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization found that approximately 50% of healthcare professionals suffer from burnout. When combined with the increased stress of being on the frontline, the need for action is clear.

You may be wondering how you can reach your busiest team members in a way that feels empowering instead of overwhelming?

As the center of your digital workplace, your intranet is uniquely positioned to serve as your frontline teams' lifeline to crucial news, up-to-date knowledge, and well-being resources. It could be the destination they keep going back to for impactful collaboration, crucial information, or shift management. Instead of a flurry of impersonal emails, irrelevant updates, and out-of-date data - your intranet could give frontline workers space to breathe, access to the content they need most, and must-have tooling in the palm of their hand.

Delivering healthcare on the frontline: 5 unique needs

There's no doubt your frontline teams are moving at pace, but that doesn't mean connection should fall by the wayside. Whether they have 5 seconds or 5 minutes, your healthcare intranet can serve as their go-to source for guidance and support.

If you're looking to empower your frontline with an intranet they’ll simply love using, consider the following needs:

#1. A reliable, centralized source of information

A paramedic on their way to a callout doesn’t have time to search through an endless repository of content to find the answer. They need the answer yesterday and they need to be able to rely on it being correct. Frontline healthcare workers expect immediate access to accurate medical guidelines, patient records, or procedural information through a single source.

Rapid access to expertise or the latest knowledge should be empowered with logical categorization, a smooth UX, and a powerful search capability to get there. With an enterprise-grade intranet, you could help frontline healthcare workers navigate complex information stored across multiple systems.

Centralized, easily searchable content will maximize the trust your people feel in their handheld tooling so they keep returning to it as steadfast aid to doing their job well. In addition to this, a future-ready intranet app will reduce the time frontline employees spend searching for information, maximize the time they can dedicate to the patient or task at hand, and improve standards of healthcare. Win win.

#2. Mental health and well-being support that works

There is a growing and urgent global crisis in the mental health of healthcare professionals across the frontline. The demanding nature of their work and the environments in which they operate mean that healthcare workers are more likely than most to suffer from mental exhaustion and psychological issues.

As Frontiers in Public Health found, “Numerous factors contribute to elevated stress among healthcare workers, including heavy workloads, long shifts, a high pace, lack of physical or psychological safety, chronicity of care, moral conflicts, perceived job security, and workplace-related bullying or lack of social support.” When tackled wisely, their employers could make a huge impact in mitigating these risks.

High stress and workload could be alleviated with better shift management and enhanced access to accurate information. Emotional strain could be eased with more effective peer-to-peer social networking and increased recognition of everyday heroes across an A&E unit.

Al Jazeera reported on the silent emergency among UK doctors, with “medics twice as likely to die by suicide than the general population”. Although it won’t solve this extremely concerning problem, better access to mental health support and resources for help when it’s needed most could be a start for improving the working environment of frontline workers in healthcare. A thriving well-being hub with associated social communities for these employees to tap into on the move could make them feel less alone in facing the daunting challenges of the industry.

#3. Breaking down communication barriers

One of the biggest challenges that frontline workers face is feelings of detachment and isolation in the workplace. As Forbes recently reported, efforts to “tailor communication and supports to all tenure levels within your organization” could save employees from the loneliness epidemic.

Healthcare workers often face difficulties in voicing their concerns, ideas, or feedback due to hierarchical structures and the demands of busy schedules. This, coupled with a lack of effective mobile communications, means healthcare workers on the frontline are often left behind when a healthcare business tries to reach its people.

Overcoming this is vital for employee morale, efficient operations, and improving patient care. Healthcare workers on the frontline need clarity, conciseness, and targeted communications that are geared specifically for them. Only when these communications are delivered in a timely, relevant way that is fully accessible from an intuitive employee app will barriers be broken and organizational velocity restored.

Because these types of workers are short on time and in a hurry, they need tailored access to consistent content. Messaging should be transparent and offer an active feedback channel too, so they can feel part of the conversation. Features that will empower them on the move will take communications to the next level. The option of an offline reading mode, so they can catch up when they’re travelling through an area of zero signal or they can’t access their network in a hospital basement. AI summarization is another great tool for healthcare workers on the frontline as they battle the clock to stay informed at a glance.

#4. Training and development that’s truly accessible

Healthcare workers on the frontline need ongoing professional development and training on the latest medical practices and technologies. The real challenge is managing to find time to allocate to this without disrupting the standard of patient care they can provide.

Time constraints brought about by long hours and demanding work schedules leave little to no time for training and upskilling. Emergency situations and unpredictable work patterns can make this even more cumbersome. Resource limitations with budget constraints and staffing issues can also limit access to premium training programs or educational resources. These factors increase the importance that the employer provides gold standard training and development in house.

If the training and development materials offered by the employer are complex or poorly designed for a mobile app interface, it can be even more difficult for healthcare workers on the frontline to find and access the content quickly. Slow loading times, crashes, or bugs could be the last straw for frontline workers wanting to upskill their healthcare knowledge on the move.

Consistent, thoughtfully designed professional development pathways on an intranet app with full parity to the desktop experience could offer the antidote your people need. Highly responsive and relevant content that’s tailored to them is sure to help them excel in their upskilling efforts and engage more effectively with your mobile intranet offering.

#5. Feeling like a part of something bigger

As previously explored, emotional and social support becomes even more essential when you’re a worker in healthcare. You need to be connected with people who just ‘get it’ – simple. Offering a space where these employees can share experiences and learnings, celebrate successes, or highlight challenges is a fundamental building block for a sense of belonging.

Perhaps this industry can look to the rise in hybrid working across neighboring verticals to identify opportunities to boost engagement with social.

When exploring the impact of employee engagement with patient safety, the International Journal of Quality Healthcare found that there was a “positive and powerful relationship”. Therefore, the imperative to give your employees a voice in the healthcare sphere is even more critical. Cultivating a culture of genuine appreciation that extends to the frontline with reward and recognition is sure to boost morale. When this is interwoven with a vibrant social network, engagement across your frontline population will flourish as your people share ideas, discuss current events, and feel like part of a larger purpose, no matter their distance from base.

Every healthcare worker on the frontline can be empowered by an intranet

By leveraging social connectivity within an intranet that’s accessible via mobile app, healthcare organizations can enhance the well-being, efficiency, and professional growth of frontline workers. They can combat communication barriers, offer the support that’s needed most, and foster a sense of belonging - ultimately leading to better patient care and a more resilient healthcare workforce. That’s no small feat, but there is a simple solution; an enterprise-grade intranet.