AI could ease nursing home staffing pressure, CEO says

Artificial intelligence could help relieve staffing pressures in nursing homes by handling routine tasks and identifying risks earlier, Teitur Guðmundsson, CEO of Heilsuvernd, told mbl.is.

Guðmundsson said AI and other technologies were already being used in healthcare to address staffing challenges. The technology could support tasks such as camera monitoring, serving and clearing food, cleaning and other routine work, giving staff more time for the human aspects of their jobs.

He stressed that this did not mean replacing people with robots or technology. One example is a robot helping to clear tables at the Hrafnista nursing home on Sléttuvegur.

Guðmundsson said healthcare services should not shy away from technology in a rapidly changing world, but should test different solutions. Translation tools and other communication technologies could be useful, particularly because many healthcare workers are from abroad and need time to learn a new language.

Technology can also help assess the risk of falls. Camera systems can assist staff in determining whether residents are experiencing disturbed sleep, while also assessing their strength and abilities. Movement sensors can alert an employee to check a resident’s room.

These systems can help staff identify unusual patterns earlier and potentially prevent falls, Guðmundsson said. Falls can lead to hip fractures and hospital admissions, making them serious incidents that should be prevented where possible.

Other systems can support medication management by advising which medicines should not be combined, how certain medicines should be administered, and by assisting with electronic dosing and follow-up.

“No, we are not solving the staffing problem with artificial intelligence. That is still some way off,” Guðmundsson said. However, technology was already helping provide better and safer services every day, and its use would continue to grow.

Nursing home capacity has increased significantly, and the government plans to add many more places. Education and Children’s Minister Inga Sæland said this week that nearly 1,400 new places were under construction, with 1,507 places in total in development.

Guðmundsson said technology could allow staff to devote more time to human interaction by reducing the amount of time spent on other tasks.