Hospitals are facing critical staffing and retention issues. One of the primary reasons for this is the increasing aging population and workforce; this has led to fewer healthcare workers while also increasing the demand for medical services [3]. It also must be noted that medical staffing has been significantly affected by stress and burnout since the COVID-19 Pandemic. [1] By investing in technology such as virtual reality in the rehab setting, hospitals may see vast improvements in patient outcomes alongside higher retention of therapists and greater levels of engagement.

To mitigate the staffing shortage, hospitals are advised to focus on improving employee well-being and investing in technology that can increase work efficiency.[3]

Improving the Clinical Experience

As providers strive to improve the patient and therapist experience, they should consider investing in virtual reality therapy technology. Virtual reality therapy, such as the XR Therapy System by Neuro Rehab VR has the potential to address multiple challenges that hospitals face, including increasing therapist retention, increasing productivity, providing improved functional outcomes, and decreasing readmissions—all of which decrease hospital costs.[2]

One of the major challenges that hospitals face is retaining therapists. Virtual reality therapy technology provides therapists a unique tool to engage patients in therapy sessions. This can increase job satisfaction and make the work more fulfilling, thus contributing to therapist retention. VR is also a tool not affected by outside stimuli of the treatment setting. Regardless of how the therapist is mentally feeling, how loud their surroundings may be, etc. The virtual reality simulation provides a consistent, functional environment and exercise goal presentation.

In addition, virtual reality therapy technology can increase productivity and decrease the costs of having to staff enough clinicians to cover large caseloads. With this technology, patients can engage in therapy sessions remotely, saving time and resources. Since the cost of virtual reality therapy technology is decreasing, VR is now more accessible to hospitals than ever before.

Virtual reality therapy technology also has the potential to improve outcomes and experiences for patients. By immersing patients in virtual environments, this technology can help them manage pain, anxiety, and other symptoms. Thus, virtual reality therapy can provide patients with an engaging and interactive experience, making therapy sessions more enjoyable and effective.

Finally, virtual reality therapy technology can help decrease readmissions. By providing patients with effective and engaging therapy sessions, this technology can help motivate patients leading to greater work output as well as faster goal acquisition. Virtual reality does this by utilizing intuitive audio and visual skills in a fully simulated environment that help educate and facilitate goal acquisition specific to the patient.

Optimized Outcomes on a Budget

Investing in virtual reality therapy technology can help hospitals address multiple challenges and provide better outcomes and experiences for patients. By retaining therapists, increasing productivity, decreasing costs, and decreasing readmissions, virtual reality therapy technology can help hospitals provide high-quality care to patients while improving their bottom line. 

Resources:

[1] "The critical staffing shortage of healthcare workers has forced hospitals to incur increased costs during the ongoing pandemic. Hospitals have experienced a 15.6% increase in labor expenses per adjusted discharge compared to September 2019."

URL: https://www.aha.org/fact-sheets/2021-11-01-data-brief-health-care-workforce-challenges-threaten-hospitals-ability-care

[2] "Rising hospital labor costs have had broad impacts on overall hospital finances, further lowering operating margins and pushing many hospitals closer to their financial brink. As total hospital expenses have risen 19.9% on a per adjusted discharge basis, operating margins have declined."

URL: https://www.aha.org/issue-brief/2022-01-25-data-brief-workforce-issues-remain-forefront-pandemic-related-challenges

[3] "Staffing Issues In Healthcare 1) Increased aging population 2) An aging workforce 3) Affordable care act 4) Burnout Strategies To Mitigate The Staffing Shortage In Healthcare 1) Focus on employee 2) Find the right people 3) Invest in technology 4) Embrace flexibility 5) Outsource clinical documentation The Projected Staffing Shortage In Healthcare"

URL: https://www.ampliz.com/resources/what-are-the-key-staffing-issues-in-healthcare-2023/

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------