A recent global survey of healthcare leaders found that 90% foresee an acceleration in digital transformation, as systems lean into virtual care, advanced tools and AI-driven innovations.
Ambient and voice-activated technologies are at the forefront of transforming organizations and easing administrative burdens on care teams.
To better understand how these trends are taking shape, Becker’s Healthcare spoke with Tobi Karchmer, MD, senior vice president and chief medical and scientific officer, and Donny Patel, president of Connected Care at Baxter.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: We know technology is important in supporting patients and caregivers — but introducing too many new technologies can pose its own challenges. How can healthcare organizations select connected technologies that will help address their challenges without placing more burden on care teams?
Dr. Karchmer: Start by getting clear on the problem you’re trying to solve. Is it a challenge with a workflow or a clinical problem? Is a piece of existing technology creating log jams without adding value? Clarity about the root causes of an issue will put you in a better place to determine how technology might help address the challenge.
Then it comes down to listening to your teams and prioritizing what you will tackle and when. Technology can add value to patient care. However, if it’s not handled thoughtfully, it can take away from it.
The goal is to leverage connected technologies in ways that enable patient care and don’t detract from interactions between caregivers and patients.
Q: Donny, what are some of the top workflow needs you are focusing on today?
Donny Patel: For us, connected care isn’t simply about linking products to Wi-Fi. It’s about connecting nurses and clinicians to our products in ways that simplify their work lives and free up more time to serve patients. When it comes to product innovation, we use our technology to activate workflows on beds, pumps, monitors, nurse call devices and other products by mere presence or a voice command.
One example is Voalte Linq, which is a new offering that we recently launched at HIMSS. Linq is a wearable badge that uses voice technology to provide fast and reliable communication between care team members and supports workflows related to patient and staff safety. For example, staff can use Linq to enable a safety mechanism at the bedside to prevent patient falls.
They can also press a small configurable button on the Linq badge to request help silently or verbally. Through our staff locating products with Voalte Nurse Call, responders can quickly identify where the person is in the facility and ensure their safety.
Q: What makes now the right moment for voice-activated technology in healthcare?
DP: Voice activation is second nature in our personal lives with Siri, Alexa and other voice-activated solutions. In healthcare settings, voice communication has long existed, but voice-activated technology has gone largely untapped.
Voice assistants in medical devices are a new development, but Voalte Linq doesn’t just communicate using an assistant; it activates workflows and models employee activity. AI models run in the background and are activated based on each unit’s needs. That creates a unique fit.
Q: Dr. Karchmer, are there certain scenarios where clinicians may need to rely on the power of their voice, rather than hands? If so, why?
TK: Absolutely; there is a whole spectrum of scenarios where voice-activated technology can help. For example, it can support patient care when clinicians are in the middle of a procedure like placing a central line. Their hands may be in sterile gloves, but they need to call for additional materials or support.
Technology is also important for safety. Unfortunately, violence in healthcare is about four times more prevalent than in any other industry. When clinicians are in situations that escalate, we want to make it as easy as possible for them to call for help — and to be easily found with real-time location services.
Like Donny said, voice-activated technology is something we use in our everyday lives. It makes perfect sense to apply it to healthcare scenarios to help support efficiency and safety.
Q: We’ve covered some clinical challenges. What are you hearing from hospital IT and operations teams in terms of selecting and supporting the right connected solutions and partners?
DP: One challenge is simplifying product deployment for hospital IT partners. We know they are exhausted by point solutions. They prefer platform solutions with plug-and-play functionality. They also want reliable vendor partners who understand the complex healthcare landscape.
The Voalte Linq device is one part of our connected portfolio. Our DeviceBridge platform, for example, is installed once, and everything we make plugs into it. We want to drive interoperability, so we’re focused on developing solutions that play well in hospital ecosystems and are easy to maintain.
Q: How does the Voalte Linq device fit within Baxter’s growing connected care portfolio — and what can we expect in the future?
DP: We see Linq as an input mechanism for our patient care devices. But it also streamlines other critical workflows such as asset management.
Looking ahead, many of our large customers are collaborating with us to create software products in partnership with them. We’re excited about advancing the mission of those hospitals and serving them in new ways.
TK: When designing connected care solutions, we think about how connectivity can help us deliver the information caregivers need, when they need it. So much data is generated in healthcare settings, but according to the World Economic Forum, 97% of it goes unused. Baxter products are used throughout many areas of patient care — so we are in a unique position to foster connections that can help enable healthcare delivery. As care becomes more complex, the people providing that care are stretched thin. When I look to the future, I see many opportunities for our solutions to help care teams cut through complexity and focus on delivering the care their patients need in efficient, effective ways.
