The centricity of workforce development

Dr. Osama Elhassan has assumed the role as Chairman at ZIMAM. On this occasion, we publish his contribution to Lemonmint’s Perspective on “Mastering Large-Scale Digital Maturity Assessments in Healthcare”. Dr. Elhassan argues that the success of digital transformation hinges on the people who implement and sustain the technology – an aspect often overlooked in digital maturity models, as they often fall short in addressing or evaluating the impact of empowered, multidisciplinary teams of clinicians and IT staff. Here is Dr. Elhassan’s full expert view:

The mantra “grow or die” resonates powerfully in the healthcare sector, underscored by fierce competition, escalating healthcare costs, tightening regulatory burdens, and the rising issue of clinician burnout. In this environment, achieving excellence in digital transformation is not just aspirational but essential.

Healthcare system leaders have learned, often through difficult experiences, that technology investments must be underpinned by a clear strategy, a robust benefit management approach, and, critically, empowered technical and clinical resources. The absence of these elements has been a root cause of many high-profile failures in digital health implementations.

The success of digital health transformation hinges not just on technology but equally on the people who implement and sustain it.

Dr. Osama Elhassan

Digital maturity models are instrumental in guiding leadership to craft effective strategies. The models assist in setting priorities and provide a framework for implementing a benefit management process that can demonstrate longterm ROI. Importantly, they connect operational digital health interventions, like implementing Clinical Decision Support or closed-loop medication, with key objectives like ensuring patient safety and enhancing patient experience.

Maturity models must evaluate impact of empowered workforce

However, a significant gap persists in most of these maturity models: they often fall short in addressing or evaluating the impact of empowered, multidisciplinary teams of clinicians and IT staff. This oversight can hinder the sustainability and scalability of digital interventions. To address this, the International Digital Health Workforce Development Collaborative (ZIMAM) was recently established.

ZIMAM’s mission is to forward a competency-based framework for digital health workforce development. This framework aims to measure the maturity of the digital health workforce and empower members of multidisciplinary teams essential for blending technology with various domain expertise to deliver digitally-enabled solutions.

ZIMAM’s competency-based approach, which integrates micro-credentialing, career-pathing, and mentorship, supports the development of a robust digital health workforce. This initiative represents a significant step in acknowledging and enhancing the role of human resources in the success of digital health initiatives.

In conclusion, as healthcare systems strive for digital excellence, the centrality of workforce development cannot be overstated. The success of digital health transformation hinges not just on technology but equally on the people who implement and sustain it.

Dr. Osama Elhassan is the Vice President of UAE Health Informatics Society and the Chairman of the GCC Taskforce on Workforce Development in Digital Healthcare (ZIMAM).

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