Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly moving from pilot programs to point-of-care workflows, and every industry is learning to use it effectively.
Healthcare has notoriously been slower to implement new innovations, as they’re often met with skepticism from physicians and other healthcare officials. But AI isn’t going away, and healthcare is one industry that can benefit the most.
Many health systems have been investing in AI-enabled tools, virtual reality (VR), and simulation-based education, and these modalities are primed to help an industry struggling with staffing shortages and pressures to improve quality and safety. Despite the promise to help with faster onboarding and stronger training structures, reports show adoption is slow, and outcomes rarely meet expectations.
Many are quick to blame the technology, saying it’s too complex or not ready to be used in healthcare just yet. However, the real reason healthcare systems are struggling to grasp new technologies isn’t because innovation is ahead of the game, but because there’s a lack of workforce readiness.
Without intentional preparation, enablement, and change management, even the most evidence-backed technologies struggle to gain traction.
Why adoption lags despite strong evidence
Research shows immersive learning modalities like VR supports knowledge retention, clinician confidence, and a stronger workforce. AI has the capabilities of addressing some of the main pain points physicians face that lead to burnout like routine documentation and other administrative tasks.
But despite all the supporting evidence, real-world adoption is still lacking. Pilot programs continuously stall, rollouts are delayed, and tools go underused or are quietly deprioritized.
The problem isn’t whether these modalities work, but how they’re being implemented into the workforce. Efficient rollout, proper training, and ongoing education are vital for these new methods to reach their full potential.
Clinical educators, especially nurse educators, are highly influential in determining whether innovation advances or stalls.
The overlooked role of nurse educators
Nurse educators, as well as clinical education and training leaders, are at the center of workforce training decisions. They choose which modalities to use and how training is delivered across an organization. Their influence is significant, but time and time again, we see educators default to familiar practices and hesitate to change.
While clinical educators have expressed interest in these new technologies, the “pain to change” seems to be a large part of the issue when it comes to embracing these new modalities. Things like costs, time, workflow integration issues, return on investment, and proper timing are all things holding them back from pulling the trigger on these programs.
They’re often dealing with low nurse and clinician satisfaction, high turnover, organizational instability, and other administrative burdens that can impede change.
Even organizations that believe strongly in a technology’s value will pause on implementing it simply because the timing doesn’t feel right.
Unfortunately, just like most industries struggling with burnout and turnover, the timing might never be right, and the best way to foster change is by finding strategic ways to incorporate education effectively within the current working environment. Once change takes place and the technology is fully grasped, only then can the barriers that fuel these hesitations truly be resolved.
Educators are often eager to learn about VR training but struggle when it comes to articulating the value and showcasing the technology to other educators. If they don’t feel educated enough on the benefits of the systems and how they work, they lack the confidence to advocate for their implementation.
As a result, adoption ends up being pushed back until they feel that things have stabilized with their leadership and staff.
Lack of education, socialization, and confidence about standing behind a new technology is enough to cause even the most enthusiastic supporter and champion to push the pause button. Thankfully, this result is avoidable.
Lessons from past healthcare tech adoption
New advancements and methods are often implemented out of necessity, with pressure to adapt quickly. New technology is most embraced when something monumental happens, similar to how Covid-19 spurred the adoption of telemedicine.
Telehealth had demonstrated value for years before it finally achieved widespread adoption. Until another event occurs that requires healthcare professionals to pivot for the greater good, adoption of new practices tends to happen slowly.
The message here isn’t that healthcare needs another crisis to innovate, but that external pressure often outweighs internal motivation. When workforce strain, access challenges, or regulatory shifts intensify, any resistance to new technologies is usually overcome due to necessity.
The problem is that these timelines are quick, and preparation is vital to the success of new programs. Organizations find themselves scrambling to implement these new methods under pressure, rather than implementing them strategically over time.
What healthcare leaders should rethink
In high‑reliability environments, culture and change must be led from the top. Healthcare leaders benefit from treating training as a strategic capability rather than a downstream task to delegate. When leadership has a clear vision for the educators who carry much of the organization’s learning burden, they create conditions ripe for predictable, early gains from new innovations.
This requires intentional investment, properly preparing educators for their role, creating protected space for learning, and openly addressing the emotional and cognitive load that accompanies change. These factors need to be discussed and built into the implementation plan, not discovered reactively.
Many innovations are designed to relieve the very frustrations clinicians face every day. Yet adoption often stalls not because the solutions lack evidence or availability, but because organizations haven’t established the protocols and strategies needed to introduce them in a way that resonates with clinicians. Without this foundation, predictable resistance to change is too easily misinterpreted as a failure of the technology itself.
Readiness determines return
AI and immersive learning are becoming increasingly important additions to healthcare organizations’ training toolkits. When blended with traditional education methods, these technologies strengthen competency by providing authentic, low-risk practice away from the bedside.
The true return on investment for these programs is determined by how prepared the workforce is to embrace them. User behavior is the key to success. Even the best tools won’t deliver results if they aren’t used correctly, like relying on GPS but ignoring the directions. The technology works, but you still end up in the wrong place.
The same principle applies to new methods in healthcare: without proper education and guidance, outcomes fall short. People rarely read a complicated user’s manual but are likely to engage with clear, intuitive instruction that shows them how to succeed.
Prioritizing people, preparation, and change management is the central nervous system to the heart of the hospital. Without strategies to help clinicians embrace new technology in a way that works within their current reality, innovation adoption will fail, and positive change will continue to move at a snail’s pace.
Too often, readiness gaps are blamed on the shortcomings of innovation itself. It’s important that we give healthcare workers a supporting foundation for these changes, helping them through the process and mitigating any hesitations through clarity, structure, and preparation.
Source: metamorworks, Getty Images
Lora Sparkman, MHA, RN, BSN, VP of Patient Safety and Quality at Relias, has been a nurse for over 40 years and has led patient safety and improvement work for over 20 years, specifically using software and technology to advance healthcare improvement towards healthcare efficiency and effectiveness. For the past nine years, she has served as a clinical strategic leader at Relias, a multi-solution workforce enablement partner to 13,000 healthcare organizations and 4.5 million caregivers. Most recently, Sparkman leads a team at Relias with academic partners developing a VR application applying adult learning principles and human factors to improve infection, prevention, and control. Sparkman was recognized as the top 10 Women Leaders in Healthcare Software in 2022 by Becker’s, and top 25 Women Leaders in Healthcare Software by The Healthcare Technology Report.
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