Automation to the Rescue: Automation in the Medical Industry
In case you missed it, AtomTech™ was very excited to announce the significant momentum we gained throughout 2022. One of the drivers behind this success is that we are helping clients across industries adapt to the growing automation market, including the medical sector. This technical transformation has been particularly evident in that field as it seeks much-needed functional solutions. In this post, we take a look at how automation is helping to overcome challenges, further medical device manufacturing and enhance operations.
A Challenging Time for the Medical Industry
It’s well-known that the pandemic was extremely hard on healthcare at large. Even so many years into it, this still remains a major pressure point. In addition to labor shortages, burnout has impacted staff and executives. According to a study conducted by consulting firm WittKieffer, 75% of healthcare executives surveyed experienced this issue during the last six months of 2022. Furthermore, Healthcare IT News reports that the turnover rate for registered nurses in 2021 rose by 8%.
Relieving Staffing and Workflow Issues with Automation
To ease such staffing challenges, there needs to be a way to assist with daily tasks. That’s where automation and the various versions of it step in. As Bill Siwicki writes for Healthcare IT News, “Workflow optimization, staff shortages and the patient experience are three areas that will benefit greatly in 2023 from artificial intelligence, machine learning, real-time location systems (RTLS) and robotic process automation (RPA).”
Kenny Woods, senior vice president of sales and professional services at CenTrak, explains that RTLS and its use of “IoT-enabled badges” streamlines data collection and analysis. In turn, intelligence on equipment, patient updates and more are easily accessible. Additionally, automation and AI increase the efficiency of administration processes, which removes some burdensome work from clinicians’ plates.
Automation and Medical Devices
Another realm in which automation is progressing operations is medical device manufacturing. The World Health Organization estimates that there are nearly two million medical devices currently available. Mercer Capital, a business analyst organization, projects that this figure will continue to climb, especially when you consider medical requirements brought on by an aging population and medical costs among other trends. While medical device manufacturers keep innovating to meet this demand, automation will play a key role. Automation.com highlights the case of injection molding to illustrate this. This is a common process in manufacturing, used for devices such as infusion pumps. Not only is it predicted to rise in value, but as it does, it is also one positioned to greatly benefit from automation and robotic developments.
Sources
“Healthcare labor trends in 2023: increased burnout, executive stress” - Hailey Mensik, Healthcare Dive
https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/healthcare-labor-trends-2023/641352/
“Looking ahead to 2023: AI, machine learning, RTLS and robotic process automation” - Bill Siwicki, Healthcare IT News
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/ai-machine-learning-rtls-and-robotic-process-automation-2023
“Robots Support Medical Device Innovations” - Nigel Smith, Automation.com
https://www.automation.com/en-us/articles/november-2022/robots-support-medical-device-innovations