There comes a point in most healthcare practices where you finally realise that you’re spending more time documenting care and doing paperwork than you are actually helping people, and the problem is, it’s generally a gradual thing, so you’re not going to notice it until it’s already quite a big problem.

The issue is that admin is crucial, but it also takes up a lot of precious time. With that in mind, here are some useful tips on how to reduce admin in healthcare practices – take a look and it might be you find exactly what you need. 

The Work Behind The Work

No one goes into healthcare because they love documentation, even though it’s definitely going to become a big part of your everyday life because it’s basically the work you have to do in order to do the work you want to do. 

The tricky part is that once something becomes part of your routine, you don’t usually question it anymore and it ends up just feeling like part of the job. Why is that an issue? It’s because you’re not going to change anything for the better when you think that’s how it’s meant to be. 

Let The Background Stay In The Background 

There’s something quite telling about the fact that most clinicians don’t complain about patient interaction, even when it’s busy – that’s what they like, after all. But they’ll tend to complain about all the paperwork they’ve got to do as a result of those interactions, and it can make things a lot harder than it needs to be. 

That’s why tools like an AI medical scribe for all clinicians can be the ideal solutions. These things aren’t replacing anything or anyone, but they are making all those background jobs easier and quicker, which means you get to focus on the things you enjoy and you get to help people a lot more. 

It’s Not About Cutting Corners 

Reducing admin doesn’t mean you have to reduce your standards – far from it, in fact. It means you can be honest about where your time is being spent, and you can think more clearly about how to use your time better. 

The fact is, some processes exist for good reasons, but some exist just because they’ve always existed, and those two probably are the same ones. That’s why making even very small adjustments, like having clearer templates, fewer duplicated steps, and better systems, for example, is going to help. Not only will you be less stressed, but you’ll be in a much better position to help your patients, which is really what counts at the end of the day. 

Final Thoughts 

Admin isn’t going anywhere, and pretending it will doesn’t help. But it really doesn’t have to take over the whole day either, and if you can start noticing where it’s taking too much time, you can then find the right tools to put things back on track so you’re spending more time with your patients and less time on paperwork.