How the Nordic care model solves the modern workforce challenge

Clinicians advocate for the implementation of patient-centric models while ensuring uncompromised quality of life.

The fabric of the society has fundamentally altered since the COVID-19 pandemic, and health care systems worldwide are struggling to keep pace with the changes. The care delivery model of Nordic countries sets the context of the post-pandemic challenges faced by the industry, serving as a wake-up call for global health care systems to reassess their approach.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by health care systems grappling with critical shortages, EY teams conducted in-depth interview sessions of 45 to 60 minutes with health system executives and patient-facing clinicians, including physicians, nurses and allied health workers, between March and June 2023. EY teams also meticulously evaluated academic and news articles on workforce shortages in the Nordic countries involved in the study and analyzed government data. Before delving into the insights gleaned from these sessions, it is essential to step into the shoes of the clinicians to understand their perspective.

The perspective of physicians in the Nordics

As per the insights gathered from interviews, patient safety and the lack of autonomy are the primary reasons cited by clinicians for leaving the medical profession.

A considerable portion of a doctor's day — sometimes up to 50% — is taken up by administrative tasks. This practice of overloading doctors with extensive administrative duties is not a rational approach, considering that they are already expensive resources. The health care system often takes advantage of the dedication of doctors toward their jobs and keeps on adding tasks until they are pushed to their limits.

The disconnect between clinicians and the health system was one of the critical observations.

Clinicians from various countries shared stories of patients not receiving the necessary care, leading to ineffective health system cycles that failed to address the root cause of diseases or prevent crises. The disbalance often resulted in physicians being overworked. Further, many medical professionals feel that their situation is unlikely to improve.

Bridging the gap between clinicians and the Nordic health system

The Nordic care model has initiated several transformative initiatives to optimize patient care and reduce administrative burden. Patients can now check in and make payments themselves, which is a prime example of delegating administrative tasks to patients and enabling them to perform these tasks independently. Additionally, a competence development center is being established to create certifications for areas without training, and the health care system is collaborating with university hospitals worldwide to gather examples of best practices.

Moreover, the health care system has tested the feasibility of antibiotic treatment at home, enabling patients to receive treatment in familiar surroundings or at work. This is made possible by leveraging digital solutions for follow-ups and equipping patients with the necessary equipment to manage their treatment themselves.

Data visualization tools are leveraged to gain insights into providing care to patients from different groups, enabling teams to examine patient flows across various categories and monitor metrics to enhance the process consistently. While these initiatives have helped mitigate burnout, the Nordic health system still requires a comprehensive action plan to address the challenges posed by the post-pandemic landscape.

The future of the Nordic care model

1) Purposeful data collection

To enhance patient care and outcomes, health systems need to provide frontline clinicians with actionable data insights about specific patient populations. Clinicians need adequate training and support to interpret the data effectively. They spend most of their day collecting data but don’t have the bandwidth to analyze it. By providing clinicians with analytic insights, health systems can improve patient care and experience, and bridge the gap between data collection and its effective use in clinical decision-making.

2) Talent strategy and new roles for future care models

Health care organizations must prioritize upskilling their workforce and equip them with the necessary digital tools and expertise to deliver quality patient care. Data analysis, integration, interoperability, health cloud operation, augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) implementation and data security will be crucial skills for the health care workforce. To support the shift toward new digitally enabled care models, talent strategies should focus on nurturing and developing these skills in the workforce.

3) More autonomy in managing patients

Health care organizations should focus on enabling clinicians to have more control over their patient panels, allowing them to provide personalized care and improve patient outcomes. Optimizing workflows to add more time to engage with and care for existing patients, rather than adding more patients to their load, is crucial.

To strengthen relationships with patients and improve patient care, it is imperative to provide clinicians with greater autonomy in managing their patient panels.

4) Reset the traditional care models

Traditional models that rely on the sacrifice of clinicians through endless shifts, charting on their own time and being always on call need a reset. The current generation values a healthy work-life balance, and health care organizations should take steps to address this.

One way to alleviate the burden on clinicians is through virtual triage and virtual primary care, which can help route patients away from overwhelmed sites. To improve the quality of care and incentivize primary care practitioners, health care organizations should expand incentives and remove barriers, enabling them to deliver quality patient care while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

5) Digitally equipped care models

Digital tools designed with and for clinicians are needed to alleviate their burden, not add to it. Such tools should empower patients to take charge of their own care. To achieve this, policymakers and governments must eliminate unnecessary regulations that create a burden on clinicians. Health care organizations must optimize their policies to prioritize patient-clinician time and minimize administrative tasks that take away from patient care. By doing so, health care organizations can help clinicians focus on what they do best — providing quality patient care.

6) The feedback loop

In any health care process or model, a feedback loop is crucial to ensure its effectiveness, particularly when implementing a new model. Monitoring and optimizing the process is essential, and this can only be achieved by collecting feedback from clinicians and analyzing it. By doing so, health care organizations can ensure that patients receive adequate attention while physicians are not overwhelmed or burnt out. The feedback loop is essential to maintain a balance between patient care and physician workload, and it should be an integral part of any health care model.

Considering the current workforce shortages, it is an imperative for health care organizations in the Nordics to adopt a new care model. This will enable them to address the challenges the post-pandemic landscape poses effectively. Large organizations have a unique opportunity to lead the way by modernizing their approach and rebuilding the Nordic care model. By doing so, they can equip themselves to tackle future circumstances without overburdening their workforce.