AI'SIMPACTONTHE COMMONHEALTH CONDITIONS AFFECTINGSENIORS
ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL IMPACTS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE S HOW IT'S BEING USED TO PREVENT, DETECT, AND TREAT COMMON HEALTH CONDITIONSAFFECTINGELDERLYPATIENTS.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TECHNOLOGIES BEING USED IN HEALTHCARE TODAY. I COULD TALK FOREVER ABOUT AI'S SIGNIFICANCE IN HEALTHCARE, FROM ITS ABILITY TO PREDICT TREATMENT PROTOCOLS BASED ON VARIOUS DATASETS TO ITS AUTOMATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS. BUT ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL IMPACTS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, WHICH WILL BE THE FOCUS OF THIS ARTICLE, IS HOW IT'S BEING USED TO PREVENT, DETECT, AND TREAT SOME OF THE MOST COMMON HEALTH CONDITIONS AFFECTING ELDERLY PATIENTS.
THE LIST OF HEALTH CONDITIONS IMPACTED BY AI IS PRETTY EXTENSIVE. DIABETES, CANCER, STROKES, AND SLEEP APNEA ARE JUST A FEW AREAS WHERE WE'RE SEEING SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN PATIENT OUTCOMES. IN THIS ARTICLE, I WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT FOUR OTHER CONDITIONS
EXPERIENCINGASIMILARLEVELOFDISRUPTIONTHANKSTOARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE:FALLS,SEPSIS,CARDIOVASCULARISSUES,ANDDEMENTIA.
BENT PHILIPSON IS THE FOUNDER OF PHILOSOPHY CARE, A CONSULTING FIRM THAT PROVIDES CARE GUIDANCE TO SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES THROUGHOUTNEWYORKANDNEWJERSEY.UNDERBENTPHILIPSON’SLEADERSHIP,PHILOSOPHYCAREISDEDICATEDTOPROVIDINGEACHRESIDENT WITHINDIVIDUALIZEDCARE
PREDICTINGANDPREVENTINGFALLS
ONE IN FOUR SENIORS FALL EVERY YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES. THAT MEANS AROUND 36 MILLION FALLS ARE REPORTED, RESULTING IN OVER 32,000 DEATHS. IT MAY BE SURPRISING TO HEAR THAT FALLS ARE ACTUALLY ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSE OF FATAL INJURY IN OLDER ADULTS. THIS IS A SCARY STATISTIC FOR A CONDITION THAT CAN BE EASILY PREVENTED WITH THE RIGHT INTERVENTIONS, LIKE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
RESEARCHERSATTWOUNIVERSITIESINNORTHCAROLINAUSEDCAMERASANDVIRTUALREALITYSYSTEMSTORECORD30DIFFERENTBODYMARKERSONELDERLYPATIENTSASTHEYWALKEDONATREADMILL. VISUAL CUES WERE INTRODUCED THAT SUGGESTED THE MOTION OF SWAYING OR FALLING SO THAT THE TECHNOLOGY WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY IF THE PATIENT HAD ANY BALANCE IMPAIRMENTS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLYUNDIAGNOSED.THISDIAGNOSISMADEITPOSSIBLEFORFACILITIESANDCAREGIVERSTOKNOWWHICHPATIENTWASAFALLRISKANDWOULDNEEDFURTHERMONITORING.
SKILLEDNURSINGFACILITIESANDOTHERLONG-TERMCARECENTERSALSOHAVEACCESSTOAI-ENABLEDTECHNOLOGYLIKEUCBERKELEYARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCERESEARCHLABS'SAFELYYOU,ACOMPANY THAT INSTALLS CAMERAS IN PATIENT ROOMS WHICH IMMEDIATELY ALERT STAFF THE MOMENT A FALL IS DETECTED. THIS HAS BEEN PROVEN TO REDUCE FALLS BY 40 PERCENT AND LOWER EMERGENCY ROOM VISITSBYAPPROXIMATELY80PERCENT.
DEMYSTIFYINGANDCOMBATINGSEPSIS
SEPSIS IS COMMONLY UNDETECTED OR MISDIAGNOSED, ESPECIALLY IN OLDER ADULTS, WHO BECOME MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SEPSIS AS THEY AGE. SEPSIS CLAIMS ONE IN FIVE LIVES EACH YEAR, SO EARLY DETECTIONISCRITICALINSAVINGLIVES.
THERE IS STILL SO MUCH MYSTERY SURROUNDING SEPSIS, WHICH IS WHY IT GOES UNDETECTED. ITS EARLIEST SYMPTOMS, LIKE CONFUSION AND FEVER, CAN EASILY BE ATTRIBUTED TO OTHER CONDITIONS, SOTECHNOLOGIESLIKEARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCEAREPOWERFULTOOLSINGETTINGPATIENTSTHEDIAGNOSISANDTREATMENTTHEYNEEDASQUICKLYASPOSSIBLE.
JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY RECENTLY DEVELOPED A NEW AI SYSTEM THAT HAS REDUCED SEPSIS DEATHS BY AROUND 20 PERCENT. THEIR TARGETED REAL-TIME EARLY WARNING SYSTEM COMBS THROUGH A PATIENT'S MEDICAL NOTES, CLINICAL RECORDS, AND LAB RESULTS TO IDENTIFY IF SOMEONE IS AT-RISK OF DEVELOPING SEPSIS. IT THEN RECOMMENDS TREATMENT PROTOCOLS DEPENDING ON THE PATIENT, SUCH AS STARTING ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT, AND KEEPS ALL THE HEALTHCARE STAFF INVOLVED IN THAT PATIENT'S CARE JOURNEY INFORMED OF WHAT'S GOING ON. ACCORDING TO THEIR DATA, THE AI WAS
ACCURATENEARLY40PERCENTOFTHETIME,WHICHISFARMOREADVANCEDTHANEVENJUSTAFEWYEARSAGO.
DETECTINGOVERLOOKEDCARDIOVASCULARDISEASES
ADULTS OVER THE AGE OF 65 ARE MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE THAN YOUNGER GENERATIONS, ALTHOUGH HEART PROBLEMS ARE ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CONDITIONS AFFECTING THE GLOBAL POPULATION AND ALSO ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH. FOR THIS REASON, THERE'S BEEN A MAJOR PUSH FOR USING AI TO HELP PREDICT AND PREVENT CARDIOVASCULAR PROBLEMS.ANDALOTOFINCREDIBLEOPPORTUNITIESHAVECOMEFROMTHIS.
PHYSICIAN-SCIENTISTS AT THE SMIDT HEART INSTITUTE HAVE DEVELOPED AN AI TOOL THAT HELPS MEDICAL STAFF IDENTIFY TWO MAJOR LIFE-THREATENING HEART CONDITIONS THAT OFTEN GET MISSED: CARDIAC AMYLOIDOSIS AND HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY. ALGORITHMS CAN PINPOINT DISEASES THAT CAN'T BE SEEN BY THE NAKED EYE AND THEN USE THAT INFORMATION TO INFORM A DIAGNOSIS SO TREATMENT CAN HAPPEN IMMEDIATELY. OTHER RESEARCHERS FROM CEDARS-SINAI CREATED A TOOL THAT CAN ACCURATELY PREDICT WHICH PATIENTS WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE A HEART ATTACK WITHIN FIVE YEARS.ADDITIONALLY,THENATIONALHEALTHSERVICECREATEDATOOLTHATDETECTSHEARTPROBLEMSWITHIN20SECONDSWHILEPATIENTSAREGETTINGANMRICAN. HELPINGPATIENTSWITHDEMENTIA
ANOTHER COMMON CONDITION AMONG THE AGING POPULATION, DEMENTIA IS A FRIGHTENING AND HEARTBREAKING DISEASE. CHANGES IN YOUR BRAIN CAN HAPPEN OVER 20 YEARS BEFORE ANY SYMPTOMS EVENAPPEAR,WHICHWEAKENSTHEEFFECTSOFTREATMENT.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAN HELP HEALTHCARE EMPLOYEES SEE SIGNS OF COGNITIVE DECLINE THAT ARE INDISTINGUISHABLE TO THE HUMAN EYE. ONE AI TOOL DEVELOPED BY RESEARCHERS AT THE STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CAN DIAGNOSE PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA WITH 95 PERCENT ACCURACY, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANT SINCE AROUND 40 TO 60 PERCENT OF ADULTS WHO HAVE DEMENTIA USUALLY NEVER RECEIVE A DIAGNOSIS AT ALL. THE EARLIER AND MORE ACCURATELY DEMENTIA CAN BE PREDICTED, THE EARLIER MEASURES CAN BE TAKEN TO IMPROVE PATIENT OUTCOMES AND QUALITY OF LIFE.
WHATYOURNURSES EXPECTFROMYOU (ORELSETHEY'LL QUIT)
THE GREAT RESIGNATION HAS SPREAD ACROSS THE COUNTRY, HITTING THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY BY STORM. AND EVERY DAY, MORE AND MORE OF OUR BELOVED NURSES ARE ABANDONING THEIR CAREERS DUE TO EXTREME DISSATISFACTION WITH THEIR ROLES. 90 PERCENT ARE CONSIDERING LEAVING WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR, WITH 71PERCENTOFTHOSENURSESHAVINGOVER15YEARSOFEXPERIENCEINTHEHEALTHCARESECTOR.
ITISNOSURPRISETHATTHEHEALTHCAREINDUSTRYISONEOFTHEMOSTSTRESSFULANDDEMANDINGFIELDSTOWORKIN,BUTITISN'TNECESSARILYTHENATUREOFTHE WORKTHATISCAUSINGSOMANYNURSESTOLOSEPASSIONFORWHATTHEYUSEDTOLOVE.ASITTURNSOUT,POORWORKINGCONDITIONSARERESPONSIBLEFORTHESE HIGH TURNOVER RATES. LET'S TALK THROUGH THE CHANGES THAT WILL HAVE TO BE MADE TO KEEP NURSES FROMWALKING OUT, PARTICULARLY WITHIN SKILLED NURSING FACILITIESANDLONG-TERMCARECENTERS.
EFFECTIVESTAFFING
ANALARMINGRESEARCHSTUDYCLAIMSTHATABOUT95PERCENTOFU.S.-BASEDNURSINGFACILITIESAREREPORTEDLYUNDERSTAFFED.FACINGTHISREALITYONADAILY BASIS WOULD MAKE ANYONE FEEL DEFEATED, BURNT OUT, AND OVERSTRETCHED. AND TO MAKE MATTERS EVEN MORE UPSETTING, IT'S NOT THAT THERE AREN'T ENOUGH NURSES AVAILABLE FOR DUTY. WITH OVER FIVE MILLION NURSES IN THE UNITED STATES, IT SHOULDN'T BE DIFFICULT TO ADEQUATELY STAFF A FACILITY, BUT MANY ORGANIZATIONSARECHOOSINGTOINCREASETHERESPONSIBILITIESOFTHEIRCURRENTSTAFFRATHERTHANHIREMORETEAMMEMBERS.
AS A RESULT OF IRRESPONSIBLE STAFFING, HEALTHCARE FACILITIES ARE CAUSING MORE RESIGNATIONS THAN THEY CAN AFFORD TO MANAGE. THESE NURSES ARE REFUSING TO ADJUST TO THE WORKING CONDITIONS AROUND THEM — AND RIGHTLY SO. HOWEVER, THIS MEANS THAT THE REMAINING STAFF IS LEFT TO PICK UP THE EXCESS,WHICHCANHAVEDANGEROUSCONSEQUENCES,LIKELOWER-QUALITYCAREANDPOORERPATIENTOUTCOMES.
LONG HOURS AND WAVERING SCHEDULES ARE A NORM WITHIN THIS SECTOR. WHILE NURSES ARE EXPECTED TO BE FLEXIBLE, THEY ALSO HAVE LIVES OUTSIDE OF THEIR CAREERS. A LOT OF THEM HAVE CHILDREN AND ADULT DEPENDENTS TO LOOK AFTER, AND IT IS OFTEN CHALLENGING TO DO SO WHEN THEY ARE CONSTANTLY ASKED TO WORK LATE OR COME IN ON THEIR OFF DAYS.
AS NURSES ARE SOME OF THE MOST DEDICATED WORKERS ON THE PLANET, THEY WILL OFTEN RISE TO THE OCCASION AND WORK EXTRA SHIFTS SO LONG AS THEIR OUTSIDE NEEDS ARE MET. LEADERS CAN DO THEIR PART BY IMPLEMENTING MORE FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES, INCREASING PAID TIME OFF BENEFITS, AND EVEN CONSIDERING REIMBURSING STAFF FOR OUTSIDE SERVICES TO HELPTHEMCAREFORTHEIRCHILDRENANDLOVEDONES.
MOREEFFECTIVEADMINISTRATIVESTRATEGIES
ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS CAN BE INCREDIBLY TIME-CONSUMING AND PUT EVEN MORE STRESS ON A NURSE'S ALREADY BUSY SCHEDULE. THESE DUTIES TAKE A LOT OF TIME TO COMPLETE, WHICH IS VALUABLE TIME SPENT AWAY FROM PATIENTS. EVERYONE CAN AGREE THAT CURRENT AND ACCURATE DOCUMENTATION IS KEY TO RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL HEALTHCARE FACILITY, BUTTHEWAYINWHICHTHESERECORDSARERECORDEDSHOULDBEMOREMODERNIZED.
EVEN THE MOST TALENTED AND ATTENTIVE NURSES ARE BOUND TO MAKE THEIR FAIR SHARE OF MANUAL ENTRY ERRORS AS HUMANS AREN'T ROBOTS. FORTUNATELY, TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES BY THE DAY, AND MORE COMPANIES ARE IMPLEMENTING AUTOMATED SOLUTIONS TO MAKE THESE PROCESSES EASIER AND MORE EFFICIENT. INSTEAD OF GRABBING A PEN AND PAPER AFTER EACHPATIENT,WORKERSWOULDAPPRECIATEHAVINGSERVICESTHATAREOPERATEDBYQRCODESANDSCANS,TAKINGALOTOFTHEREPETITIVEFOOTWORKOFFOFTHEIRHANDS.
MINDFULSTAFFINGPOLICIES
ASKING NURSES TO WORK OVERTIME, ESPECIALLY WITH NO HEADS-UP, IS A COMMON THEME ACROSS THE LONG-TERM CARE SECTOR. ONE CAN ALSO GROW ACCUSTOMED TO BEING ASKED TO CARRY OUT NON-NURSING DUTIES AND FLOAT TO OTHER UNITS, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH THEIR OWN OBLIGATIONS. THEY ALSO OFTEN WORK THROUGH THEIR LUNCHES AND FIND NO TIME TO TAKE THE BREAKS THAT ARE LEGALLY GRANTED TO THEM, LEAVING THEM UNDERNOURISHED AND WITH NO TIME TO RECHARGE BETWEEN A LONG LIST OF PATIENTS.THESEISSUES,AMONGMANYOTHERS,CANBEFIXEDBYHIRINGMORERELIEFANDPUTTINGBETTERPRACTICESINPLACETOLIGHTENTHEHEAVYLOADTHATNURSESAREEXPECTED TOCARRYEVERYDAY.
BETTERMENTALHEALTHSERVICES
WE ARE NO LONGER IGNORING THE IMPACT THAT POOR MENTAL HEALTH CAN HAVE ON OUR LIVES, YET NURSES ARE STILL NOT RECEIVING THE TYPE OF MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT THEY DESERVE. A RECENT STUDY THAT SURVEYED OVER 2,500 NURSES FROM ACROSS THE WORLD REPORTED THAT 75 PERCENT OF THEM HAD EXPERIENCED BURNOUT, AND 64 PERCENT HAD TO CONTINUETOCOMETOWORKEVENTHOUGHTHEYWEREBATTLINGDEPRESSION.
THE BEST WAY FORWARD IS TO OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF MENTAL HEALTHCARE OPTIONS. INSTEAD OF SELECTING A PROGRAM FOR ALL EMPLOYEES TO USE, LEADERS SHOULD ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEESTOSEEKOUTTHEPROVIDERSANDRESOURCESTHATWOULDBETHEBESTFITFORTHEIRNEEDSANDTHENPROVIDEFINANCIALRELIEFORREIMBURSEMENTOPTIONS.
AS THE HEART OF THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY, THE CRIES OF NURSES SHOULD BE TAKEN MORE SERIOUSLY BY LEADERS. IF THEIR NEEDS CONTINUE TO GO UNHEARD AND UNADDRESSED, SOCIETYASAWHOLEWILLCONTINUETOSUFFERFROMTHEIRABSENCE.
BENT PHILIPSON IS THE FOUNDER OF PHILOSOPHY CARE, A CONSULTING FIRM THAT PROVIDES CARE GUIDANCE TO SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES THROUGHOUT NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY.