Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health joined a collaboration with Microsoft, Epic and other health systems to enhance nursing workflows using ambient listening technology.
Intermountain's Chief Nursing Officer, Mandy Richards, DNP, RN, told Becker's the primary motivation for joining the collaboration was to ease the often cumbersome workflows that pull nurses away from patient interactions.
"Nurses want more than anything to spend time with their patients," she said. "With the aging population and a projected nursing shortage, we have to think about how we can make care more efficient."
A recent time-motion study conducted by Intermountain revealed that nurses spent approximately 28% of their time on documentation. In response, Intermountain set a goal to reduce that figure by implementing this technology, which could boost bedside time from 36% to more than 40%.
The partnership with Microsoft and Epic could offer a promising solution. Microsoft brings its technical expertise, while Intermountain contributes its understanding of healthcare operations, particularly in nursing workflows. This enables Intermountain to provide Microsoft with real-time, daily feedback, ensuring that the technology is shaped by the needs and insights of front-line nurses.
For instance, Dr. Richards highlighted a request from nurses for seamless system access to the tool, akin to the tap-and-go functionality commonly found on hospital computers. Microsoft began refining this aspect of the technology based on that feedback.
Currently, 19 nurses and six nursing assistants at Intermountain are testing the tool in a three-month pilot, which is set to expand to include 100 caregivers. Dr. Richards noted that the ambient listening technology has already enhanced nurse-patient relationships. One nurse reported that the tool facilitated a more interactive assessment process, transforming the experience into an educational dialogue with patients. Dr. Richards said such changes can strengthen the therapeutic relationship between nurses and patients, leading to reduced anxiety and improved patient satisfaction.
Moreover, the technology is streamlining the way nurses enter and validate information, allowing for real-time documentation and minimizing the need for later data entry. This capability enables nurses to confirm entries swiftly, granting providers immediate access to up-to-date patient assessments.
"When you see colleagues asking for the tool, you know it's something valuable," Dr. Richards said. "We need it to be so easy to use that it's harder not to use it, and we're already seeing that level of enthusiasm."