Maximizing Onboarding and Adoption Success in Technology Deployment

Technology plays a prolific role in the healthcare sector in a variety of ways. From storing patient records, to virtual doctors appointments, it’s no stranger to the digital world and the advantages of modern technology. It’s clear that digital tools are doing their part for patient care, but there is another key area where digital health implementation is at its peak, and that is employee onboarding. Making the most of available tech and deploying it successfully can help new healthcare staff integrate more efficiently onto a new team, ensure adequate training and heightened user engagement.

Healthcare Technology Adoption

When it comes to healthcare IT management and technology adoption, it usually refers to a phase in business whereby an organization chooses to adopt a new service or software. They will then need to successfully onboard current and new employees who will use this technology. Adoption curves can vary depending on the type of technology and the current culture in the work setting. In the healthcare industry especially, it’s important to pay close attention to onboarding processes so that the organization can benefit as quickly as possible. This involves creating a smooth onboarding experience and excellent training, so staff feel confident with the new digital tools at their disposal.

Best Practices For Successful Technology Deployment

The following strategies outline some healthcare onboarding best practices, which will help to ensure a smooth onboarding and adoption process when deploying new technology and software:

Set Achievable Goals and Objectives

When making any changes in a professional setting, it’s important to establish clear goals and objectives from the outset. This process will allow you to instantly see where improvements can be made and where the issues lie in the adoption process.

Maintain Strong Lines of Communication

Communication is one of the most important components to successful technology deployment in healthcare settings. In order to implement software successful, everyone needs to be aware of what the solutions are, how they benefit them and how it will impact their daily work life. This can be achieved by regular training sessions, question and answer sessions and email updates. This will help to keep employees engaged in the process and monitor their progress at the same time. 

Communication also works both ways; it’s not just about you telling others what to do, you need to be willing to receive feedback and act upon it too. You should actively be encouraging staff members to provide feedback on training so that they can share their experiences and thoughts. This will allow you to make any relevant adjustments so that future sessions are improved. Giving your employees a voice during the onboarding and adjustment process is so important.

Know How To Measure Your Success

How do you know your onboarding methods are successful? Measuring success is such an important evaluative tool, as it can help you to assess the implementation of digital technology. Using metrics will help to track user adoption rate and collating feedback will also be a useful measurement of success. You may also want to check the impact of the technology on the efficiency of workflows; this will be a clear indication of success.

The Importance of Staff Training

As mentioned earlier, staff training is paramount when it comes to technology deployment. Training needs to be hands-on and have scope for feedback and flexibility. There should be no shortcuts in medical staff technology training, because the safety of staff and patients remains a number one priority.  

Adequate training and support will allow employees to gain the knowledge, expertise and skills to use the new digital tools and software effectively. Providing ongoing support and listening to feedback will also create a tailored approach so that morale remains high and user engagement is maintained.

Ensuring User Engagement

When anything new is introduced into a professional environment, there may be resistance, This is why it’s important to pay close attention to user engagement. Listening and accepting feedback during the training process plays a vital role in this process. There are so many diverse roles and specializations in the healthcare industry, which means there will be no one size fits all approach. Tailoring the training and supporting different employees according to their role and responsibility will ensure a smooth onboarding process and high user engagement. 

Managing expectations in terms of the roll out and timeline of the new technology will also help to take the pressure of employees who are getting to grips with the new digital tools. Although it’s important to have consistency in the healthcare industry, it’s better to adopt a steady and thorough approach than rush everyone into using something they’re not completely confident with.

How Leadership Can Foster a Tech-Friendly Culture

When adapting to any changes and new technologies, there will always be barriers and hurdles to overcome. It is the job of those in leadership roles to create a positive narrative around these changes, rather than resisting it because it’s “easier” to stick to what you know. In most cases, this change in mindset will actually begin to benefit managers of healthcare settings remarkably. With technology deployment, it will be much easier to manage high turnover rates. Onboarding new staff will become much more streamlined and will pave the way for future hires in healthcare practices. The health care sector is heavily regulated, so technology can help to curate large volumes of information to make onboarding and training less overwhelming.

Those in leadership positions also need to be willing to adapt to these changes and shift their mindset to foster a technology friendly culture in their setting at work. Those in entry level positions will usually lead by example, so managers should create a positive narrative and strive for successful tech deployment in healthcare.

To Conclude

It is evident that implementing digital technology into the health industry isn’t a passing phase, it’s here to stay, and for a number of beneficial reasons. Optimizing the onboarding process is a clear way to ensure users are engaged and thorough training is provided. This will help to create a new culture and way of life amongst healthcare professionals so they can adapt quickly and embrace technology. When it comes to digital health implementation, the standard processes will continue to evolve and adapt much like the healthcare industry will. As long as technology continues to be at the forefront of health care settings, so should the overall approach to onboarding and adoption when acquiring new talent.