How digital learning could end the health workforce crisis

This shocking prediction has led to health ministers from almost 50 countries signing a commitment to “address health workforce shortages by concerted action to train, retain, and improve the working conditions of health and care workers”.

This commitment is not about short-term strategies that simply mask the problem, but long-term solutions that address workforce shortages – and lessen the impact these shortages have on healthcare systems around the world. So, let’s take a closer look at where the workforce crisis has come from – and explore why digital learning could be a key factor in turning the tide on this growing problem.

What causes a health workforce shortage?

The shortage of healthcare workers is not confined to one country or level of income, although, as we’ll explore later, it tends to have a greater impact in developing nations. The shortage also doesn’t happen overnight: it’s an issue that gathers force due to a multitude of factors, including:

• Worker burnout: Healthcare is a stressful sector to work in, causing mental and physical health issues that can lead to workers making the decision to leave the profession. In the UK, a report found that between 2018 and 2022, nearly 43,000 people left the Nursing and Midwifery Council register.
• The ageing population: The growing ageing population across many countries (especially developed ones) is putting an increased strain on the healthcare system, without the workforce in place to cope.
• Government under-investment: Historic under-investment in the education and training of health workers has contributed to continuous shortages, with forecasting falling drastically short of what is actually required.
• Global health emergencies: The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated existing shortages, causing a backlog of patients and a growing dissatisfaction among those who worked through the highly stressful time.
• Economic workforce migration: The movement of healthcare workers from low-income countries to wealthier nations has exacerbated the healthcare shortage in their home countries. This migration often leaves poorer countries with insufficient medical staff to meet the needs of their populations, further straining already fragile healthcare systems and affecting their ability to respond to public health crises.

The data on the workforce shortage also shows real inequalities. According to a BMJ Global Health journal study, high-income countries had 6.5 times more health workers per capita than low-income countries in 2020, with the shortage being particularly prevalent in WHO’s African Region, where there are some of the highest levels of disease.

The impact of the current health workforce shortage

The workforce shortage is having a detrimental effect on the current workforce, the patients, and the global economy.

• Healthcare workers: Prolonged shifts, increased workloads and greater pressure can put a real strain on individuals and the workforce as a whole. It’s common to see more physical and emotional fatigue and heightened stress – and this can have a real impact on the quality of care provided to patients.
• Patient care: With fewer healthcare workers available to provide treatment and care, patients experience longer wait times and could even experience a worsening of their symptoms in this period. This lack of time also results in a decreased capacity to provide personalised care and support, which can lead to a decline in patient satisfaction.
• The economy: With a healthy population being essential for economic productivity, the lack of access to healthcare when its needed is directly working against this productivity. People are sat on waiting lists for longer and potentially out of work for longer as a result – decreasing the wider economic output.

Current strategies to address shortages

So, what is currently being done to address the growing issue of health workforce shortages? Traditional methods include increasing sector wages, offering incentives like cost-of-living grants to support students in training, and looking to ethical international recruitment. Yet, each of these strategies is not enough to address the growing demand, and places too much reliance on individual government funding.

The ideal strategy is one that balances all these elements with another key solution to form an integrated strategy for transforming talent acquisition and retention in healthcare. And that solution is digital learning.

The benefits of digital learning in addressing the health workforce crisis

The growth of digital technology is not only transforming patient care, but also education across the health sector. It’s opening the door for more and more people to access training and support – even if they live in rural and remote areas. And the developments in this technology are only getting more advanced, offering a wealth of benefits for healthcare professionals and employers alike.

• Scalability
  Digital platforms have the potential to train large numbers of professionals all at the same time, without geographical or logistical barriers. This has the potential to inject real power into the future healthcare workforce.
• Accessible to diverse talent
  While traditional training often clashes with the already demanding schedules of healthcare workers, being able to access E-learning empowers professionals to learn on-demand, in a way that works for them. And with the possibility for healthcare workers in rural and underserved areas and international students to gain greater access to knowledge and support, it allows employers to bring in more diverse talent to their workforce.
• Cost-effectiveness
  Digital learning can save costs on both infrastructure and the educators required to deliver the learning. It also reduces travel costs for the learners themselves, and means less time spent away from delivering patient care.
• Continuous professional development
  Digital learning isn’t just an important tool for those entering the profession for the first time. It also promotes life-long learning, allowing those already building a health career to continually develop and even move into new specialisms or roles.
• Faster onboarding and training
  Digital learning can help to expedite the onboarding process, helping to bring new hires up-to-speed quicker with the necessary training they need. This is especially valuable for process-led learning, as it can help people settle into an organisation quicker.

Overcoming challenges in implementing digital learning

• Technological barriers and skill gaps
  Despite technology being more widespread in almost all aspects of our lives, for some, it still presents a barrier. This could be especially difficult for those trying to complete online learning in a second language and could lead to there being disparities in skill levels across the workforce.
• Resistance to technology
  Technology will always be a form of anxiety for some. Resistance to change and the perception that digital learning will increase workload are just a few reasons why people may resist, and this scepticism can also occur with healthcare organisations themselves – especially in less IT-literate nations. It’s clear that all groups need to be involved in developing a more digital-first healthcare approach in order for it to achieve widespread success.
  
• Quality assurance
  Maintaining high educational standards is essential in the health sector, yet some may believe that digital learning is of a lesser quality than more traditional methods. Creating standardisation is key to ensure this isn’t the case, as well as encouraging professionals to hold themselves accountable for completing the training in full, to the best of their ability.
• Support and mentorship
  Learning new skills in the world of healthcare can be an overwhelming and stressful experience at times, so when this process is entirely digital, it can feel like there’s less support available to those who may be struggling. That’s why mentorship is such an important part of digital learning, to offer a support system and provide a more holistic educational experience. This can also be done virtually, allowing people from different walks of life and experiences to connect and learn from each other.Project ECHO is an initiative that uses tele-mentoring to connect healthcare providers in underserved areas with specialists worldwide, enhancing local capacity through international expertise.

Digital learning in action

There have already been many successful examples of digital learning creating greater opportunities in the healthcare sector, with particular progress made in low and middle-income countries. Let’s take a closer look:

1. Community Health Worker Training for the rural health workforce
A systematic review published in BMJ Open looked at the role digital technology plays in providing education, training and CPD for the rural health workforce, i.e., those outside the University and tertiary sector. The review not only found that this style of training was effective in improving knowledge and skills, but also revealed that this knowledge was retained six months post-training.

2. The International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH)
I-TECH is a collaboration between the University of Washington and the University of California, offering online and blended learning programs for health professionals in low and middle-income countries. Since they began, these programs have enhanced the capacity of health workers in many countries, and have even led to better retention rates. This successful cross-border collaboration demonstrates the impact these connections can have on sharing best practice and knowledge.

3. Digitalized Health Work Force Education
A report by the WHO looked into research gaps and the role digital technology plays in health workforce education. The expansive report found that digital training can enhance outcomes and support the retention of health workers.

TalentFind: opening up a world of digital learning opportunities

For many healthcare professionals, knowing where to look for digital learning opportunities presents one of the biggest challenges of all. This searching takes time – time that could be better spent elsewhere – and it can be hard to know whether you’re even on the path that’s right for you.

That’s where a platform like TalentFind comes in. Our members gain access to a wealth of E-learning and training opportunities in one place, delivered by world-renowned training schools and universities that are accredited within their individual field. These providers are focused on providing professionals with the knowledge and training they need to thrive in real-world settings, no matter which country they are practicing in.

And that’s not all. As part of our mission to unite the global health workforce, we also open the door for mentorship and community-building opportunities. This allows people from underserved areas to connect with and learn from other health professionals, using the accessibility of virtual conversations to remove geographical barriers.

Digital learning: the future of healthcare

Clearly, we are at a crossroads when it comes to healthcare education and the health workforce as a whole – and the need for an effective solution is paramount. Digital learning presents a great long-term strategy for training and improving the global workforce by opening the door for people in under-served communities to move into the profession, while also encouraging those already working to upskill and expand their learning.

It’s true that some more sensitive, hands-on situations will always benefit from in-person training, so a training program that blends E-learning with in-person training is likely to result in a team of well-rounded professionals.

With developments continuing in the world of digital learning, it looks like we could collectively turn the tide on the impending workforce shortage, producing programs that are better-equipped to meet the growing demands of the profession. And with platforms like TalentFind, the world of digital learning is brought closer to a diverse range of health professionals – which will only transform the health workforce for the better.

Ready to harness the power of digital learning with the help of TalentFind? Register today to join the thousands of other healthcare professionals intelligently managing their career and receive world-leading support on your digital learning journey.