Overview
Overview
HealthForce is a web-based application that leverages a proprietary mathematical model to predict the future hiring needs of a given health system. The primary goal of this product is to provide the Nurse Manager with all of the tools and information necessary to make effective hiring decisions. It is also critical that the product gain approval from the other key stakeholders.
HealthForce is a web-based application that leverages a proprietary mathematical model to predict the future hiring needs of a given health system. The primary goal of this product is to provide the Nurse Manager with all of the tools and information necessary to make effective hiring decisions. It is also critical that the product gain approval from the other key stakeholders.
“Hiring decisions made easy.”
“Hiring decisions made easy.”
The Problem
The Problem
Currently, consensus must be reached by gaining approval from numerous stakeholders that have varying levels of authority and are working from datasets that are incongruent. This discontinuity results in a loss of trust between the stakeholders. The lack of trust creates friction within the process; ultimately leading to suboptimal hiring decisions and staffing shortages. When staffing shortages occur, the health system is forced to react in ways that are not good for the fiscal sustainability of the health system or the workplace culture.
Currently, consensus must be reached by gaining approval from numerous stakeholders that have varying levels of authority and are working from datasets that are incongruent. This discontinuity results in a loss of trust between the stakeholders. The lack of trust creates friction within the process; ultimately leading to suboptimal hiring decisions and staffing shortages. When staffing shortages occur, the health system is forced to react in ways that are not good for the fiscal sustainability of the health system or the workplace culture.
Hiring?
When?
When?
How many?
Or not?
Hiring?
Hiring?
When?
When?
Or not?
Or not?
How many?
How many?
High rates of turnover and the use of new graduates make projecting future staffing needs a complex and arduous process. Consequences of incorrectly predicting staffing needs:
Overworked Employees
Hiring of Temporary Staff
Budgetary Issues
Diminished Morale
Ineffective Communication
Nurse Leaders are spread thin and need additional support to ensure that 1.) they are never understaffed and 2.) they have the information needed to defend/support decisions that have been made.
Another big thing is that Nurse Managers don’t have the data and/or support to justify needs to management/finance.
High rates of turnover and the use of new graduates make projecting future staffing needs a complex and arduous process. Consequences of incorrectly predicting staffing needs:
Overworked Employees
Hiring of Temporary Staff
Budgetary Issues
Diminished Morale
Ineffective Communication
Nurse Leaders are spread thin and need additional support to ensure that 1.) they are never understaffed and 2.) they have the information needed to defend/support decisions that have been made.
Another big thing is that Nurse Managers don’t have the data and/or support to justify needs to management/finance.
Kickoff
Kickoff
What is the product?
What is the product?
Who is it for?
Who is it for?
What problems will it solve?
What problems will it solve?
Why build it?
Why build it?
Our team and members of Duke University’s Health System have partnered to create a tool that acts as a single source of truth within the fragmented information systems that currently exist. HealthForce’s initial target market is the “Nurse Staffing '' segment.
Our team and members of Duke University’s Health System have partnered to create a tool that acts as a single source of truth within the fragmented information systems that currently exist. HealthForce’s initial target market is the “Nurse Staffing '' segment.
Process Research
Process Research
Several workshops were conducted with the stakeholders, nurse managers, directors, and nurses.
The research encompassed -
Understanding the current hospital hiring process
Staffing prediction formula and model shared by MDs and PhDs
Roles and responsibilities of the members at each level
Hiring tasks and timeline need to be accomplished
Several workshops were conducted with the stakeholders, nurse managers, directors, and nurses.
The research encompassed -
Understanding the current hospital hiring process
Staffing prediction formula and model shared by MDs and PhDs
Roles and responsibilities of the members at each level
Hiring tasks and timeline need to be accomplished
HealthForceRx seeks to eliminate staffing shortages. Our research indicates that the root cause of the problem is the presence of siloed information systems that are used by stakeholders who are oftentimes not on the same page.
This root issue disrupts the overall hiring process by degrading the trust that key stakeholders have in one another and in some cases the process in totality. Solving this problem will help the health system to avoid the consequences that come with hiring temporary nurse staff or overworking the current nurse staff.
HealthForceRx seeks to eliminate staffing shortages. Our research indicates that the root cause of the problem is the presence of siloed information systems that are used by stakeholders who are oftentimes not on the same page.
This root issue disrupts the overall hiring process by degrading the trust that key stakeholders have in one another and in some cases the process in totality. Solving this problem will help the health system to avoid the consequences that come with hiring temporary nurse staff or overworking the current nurse staff.
Insights
Insights
Implementing HealthForce into the hiring decision-making process, as a decision support system, makes hiring a seamless process; saving money for the health system and improving the quality of experience for the decision-makers that manage the hiring process and the employees that are affected by staffing shortages.
Offer a series of dashboards that:
Implementing HealthForce into the hiring decision-making process, as a decision support system, makes hiring a seamless process; saving money for the health system and improving the quality of experience for the decision-makers that manage the hiring process and the employees that are affected by staffing shortages.
Offer a series of dashboards that:
Clearly display what hires need to be made (and by when) in order to meet a future hiring need and avoid a staffing shortage
Clearly display what hires need to be made (and by when) in order to meet a future hiring need and avoid a staffing shortage
Clearly displays hiring trends over time
Clearly displays hiring trends over time
Enables the input of relevant information regarding specific roles/team members
Enables the input of relevant information regarding specific roles/team members
Enables secure data exchange between stakeholders
Enables secure data exchange between stakeholders
Provides a dashboard that prompts decision makers to take action by way of notifications and alerts
Provides a dashboard that prompts decision makers to take action by way of notifications and alerts
Provides an immutable audit trail of changes to the system’s data
Provides an immutable audit trail of changes to the system’s data
User Profiles
User Profiles
We conducted qualitative interviews for various stakeholders with different roles. The power user within this segment is the Nurse Manager and department Director.
We conducted qualitative interviews for various stakeholders with different roles. The power user within this segment is the Nurse Manager and department Director.
“We lack an effective method of predicting the timing and volume of their RN staffing needs. The quality of care diminishes in our unit
Increased stress due to staffing shortages.
I got heightened anxiety due to a lack of clarity as well as supporting data. “ - Kelly
“We are lacking an effective tool to monitor and predict hiring trends while maintaining staffing expenses at or below budget, this may result in potential reputational risk and higher cost of Temporary Staffing. “ - Marry
Other key stakeholders are:
Senior Nurse Leaders
Performance Services
Payroll Representatives
Nurse Recruiters
VP New Talent Strategies
VP Support Services
Director of Respiratory Care
Nurses / Other Staff
Compliance
Ideation
Ideation
We started with creating the workflow, quick sketches, and low-fi concepts for primary use cases. Brainstorming and ideating possible solutions for the problems. After having a go-ahead from the stakeholders and developers on the wire flow, I conducted usability tests with the lo-fi screens and fixed the design based on test feedback.
We started with creating the workflow, quick sketches, and low-fi concepts for primary use cases. Brainstorming and ideating possible solutions for the problems. After having a go-ahead from the stakeholders and developers on the wire flow, I conducted usability tests with the lo-fi screens and fixed the design based on test feedback.
Solution
Solution
Define and design a consultative approach to needs assessment, situational analysis, and client onboarding
Define and design a consultative approach to needs assessment, situational analysis, and client onboarding
Create a system that utilizes Duke’s proprietary data model to predict future staffing needs
Create a system that utilizes Duke’s proprietary data model to predict future staffing needs
Create a user-friendly user interface that collects key inputs from Nurse Managers
Create a user-friendly user interface that collects key inputs from Nurse Managers
Create a user-friendly interface that enables Senior Leaders to query staffing trend reports
Create a user-friendly interface that enables Senior Leaders to query staffing trend reports
Design
Design
University health systems that deal with complex staffing issues and/or staffing shortages. Health Systems that are under-resourced and as a result have to manage budget and hiring resources more carefully. Our design offers strategies to deal with the issues.
Here are several day-to-day user scenarios.
University health systems that deal with complex staffing issues and/or staffing shortages. Health Systems that are under-resourced and as a result have to manage budget and hiring resources more carefully. Our design offers strategies to deal with the issues.
Here are several day-to-day user scenarios.
① A new Nurse Manager is joining a team and needs to review her staffing levels and projections.
① A new Nurse Manager is joining a team and needs to review her staffing levels and projections.
②The Nurse Manager comes into the office in the morning and has 2 resignation, one LOA request, and a new hire waiting on her desk.
②The Nurse Manager comes into the office in the morning and has 2 resignation, one LOA request, and a new hire waiting on her desk.
③ A NM is leading a unit that is expanding from 17 beds to 24 beds. She needs to determine how many nurses to hire be staff these additional beds.
③ A NM is leading a unit that is expanding from 17 beds to 24 beds. She needs to determine how many nurses to hire be staff these additional beds.
④ One of the cardiology stepdown/intermediate units (7100) is under staffed, but the senior leader is responsible for two other cardiology stepdown/intermediate units (7200 and 7300) that may have extra staff. She’d like to group the units (7200 and 7300) together to see if the overages in other departments can fill the staffing gaps in 7100.
④ One of the cardiology stepdown/intermediate units (7100) is under staffed, but the senior leader is responsible for two other cardiology stepdown/intermediate units (7200 and 7300) that may have extra staff. She’d like to group the units (7200 and 7300) together to see if the overages in other departments can fill the staffing gaps in 7100.
⑤The ACNO is meeting with nurse recruitment to discuss recruitment challenges across the service line. She wants to review all of her units to determine hiring needs and help recruitment prioritize efforts.
⑤The ACNO is meeting with nurse recruitment to discuss recruitment challenges across the service line. She wants to review all of her units to determine hiring needs and help recruitment prioritize efforts.
Result
Result
The Healthforce product makes the hiring process more efficient. This allows for a greater continuity of care for patients, better working conditions for staff, and cost savings for the program overall.
Continuity of Care
The ability to predict hiring needs ahead of time will decrease the need for travelling nurses. Having the needed staff in place before they are urgently needed allows for the nurse availability to run smoothly, thus enhancing the patient’s experience
Continuity of Care
The ability to predict hiring needs ahead of time will decrease the need for travelling nurses. Having the needed staff in place before they are urgently needed allows for the nurse availability to run smoothly, thus enhancing the patient’s experience
Continuity of Care
The ability to predict hiring needs ahead of time will decrease the need for travelling nurses. Having the needed staff in place before they are urgently needed allows for the nurse availability to run smoothly, thus enhancing the patient’s experience
