13th Annual Spok Survey Reveals the State of Healthcare Communications in 2023
October 11 2023 - 8:15AM
Business Wire
150+ healthcare industry professionals weigh in
on the current state of healthcare communication, navigating
through the latest innovations, challenges, and more
Spok, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Spok Holdings, Inc.
(NASDAQ: SPOK) and a global leader in healthcare communications,
released the results of its thirteenth annual survey on
communications in healthcare. This year more than 150 executives,
physicians, nurses, IT personnel, contact center representatives,
and more from around the U.S. responded with eye-opening input
about the state of communication at their respective
organizations.
The survey is designed to assess how clinical communication is
handled in U.S. healthcare organizations, as well as the trends,
challenges, and predictions shaping this critical capability. The
survey results unveiled three major takeaways: 1) Unified
communication is essential for modern healthcare; 2) Addressing
burnout is imperative and 3) Diversity in communication devices
remains relevant.
“Despite the challenges hospitals and healthcare systems face,
we realize that effective and efficient communication is crucial
for improving patient safety and outcomes and mitigating the risk
of clinician burnout,” said Vincent D. Kelly, chief executive
officer of Spok Holdings, Inc. “While budget and resource
constraints remain the biggest challenge for healthcare leaders
when considering new technology, the quality and safety of patient
care remains paramount.” Key findings in the 2023 survey include
insights into the evolution of mobile devices, the continued
importance and usage of pagers, priorities for clinical
communication and collaboration platforms, and clinician burnout
and the role of communications.
Current communication challenges and devices
- For the fourth year in a row, respondents cited budget and
resource constraints as the No. 1 obstacle to advancing hospital
communications. Consistent with previous years, this obstacle far
outranks all other challenges in advancing hospital communications
(49%). Also, the emphasis on user education has notably increased
from 3% in 2022 to 7% in 2023.
- Although smartphones continue to be the No. 1 supported device
for clinical communications, there was a continued decrease in
their usage (61% in 2023 compared to 74% in 2022, and 79% in 2021).
This could be attributed to both security concerns and cost
implications. The healthcare IT industry’s needs are continuously
evolving, and the role of smartphones might be redefined in the
face of emerging technologies and changing operational
requirements.
- Similar to 2022, encrypted pager usage continues to rise
steadily, which could indicate a return to simpler, more
cost-effective communication. Overall, pagers remain important
tools for hospitals and health systems, and this year’s responses
emphasize the dynamic nature of device adoption in the healthcare
IT landscape.
- The concern about the security of patient information and
proprietary health system data communicated through potentially
unsecure tools continues to evolve. Respondents indicating they’re
“Not concerned” has been on the rise since 2021, suggesting perhaps
a growing trust in communication tools.
Clinician burnout and the role of communications
- A concerning 76% of healthcare workers still report some level
of burnout, although those who felt extreme burnout decreased from
25% to 16% within three years. This might indicate improved
interventions, better support mechanisms, or perhaps a
post-pandemic stabilization. Almost 70% of IT executives rated that
level of burnout as “a great deal” or “considerably” – the most
affected group in 2023. Clinicians were not far behind, with almost
60% indicating high levels of burnout. This year’s data highlights
the continued importance of addressing burnout in the healthcare
sector, as it affects everyone from top executives to staff
members
- Addressing staffing concerns and improving support from
leadership emerged as top strategies to mitigate burnout.
What’s next for healthcare organizations
- When asked about the current status of IT projects, 47% say
it’s “business as usual” for IT, down from 52% in 2022. This slight
decline suggests that while most projects continued to run
smoothly, a few might have encountered challenges or shifted
priorities.
- In general, approximately 60% of respondents intend to resume
IT projects within the next 12 months, which suggests a collective
optimism or plan to get most of these projects back on track
relatively soon and also recognizing the importance of IT projects
to improve healthcare operations and patient care.
The responses from the 2023 survey yield valuable information
that can help the healthcare industry tackle their biggest
communication challenges and guide planning efforts in the coming
months and years. Having secure communication among care team
members is paramount for clinical communication and collaboration
(CC&C) platforms. Although the mix of communication devices
continues to shift, the value of having a single platform to
communicate with all devices is key. Pager use continues to rise,
suggesting that a significant majority of hospitals and healthcare
systems continue to implement them in their device mix.
If you’re interested in more survey results, you can download
the report here.
About Spok
Spok, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Spok Holdings, Inc.
(NASDAQ: SPOK), headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is proud to
be a global leader in healthcare communications. We deliver
clinical information to care teams when and where it matters most
to improve patient outcomes. Top hospitals rely on the Spok Care
Connect® platform to enhance workflows for clinicians and support
administrative compliance. Our customers send over 70 million
messages each month through their Spok® solutions. Spok enables
smarter, faster clinical communication.
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Jill Smith +1 (952) 451-1892 Jill.smith@spok.com
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