The Healthcare Industry comprising of diagnostic, preventive, remedial and therapeutic services along with medical equipment, pharmaceutical manufacturers and health insurance firms is one of the most dynamic industries worldwide. Why? Because emergence of new diseases, changing patient demographics, evolving consumer expectations, rising healthcare costs and the VUCA world, in general, make it susceptible to new challenges. Providers of healthcare services need to stay ahead of the curve by continually upgrading their proficiency, learning and researching about new pathogens and illnesses along with following pre-defined, organization-specific SOPs and upskilling for career growth and sustenance.
In this quest, plethora of benefits can be reaped from a Learning Management System (LMS) as it befits an essential learning and development (L&D) component to provide economical and highly effective training platform for the healthcare industry.
Here we cite 6 essential features of
an LMS that benefit healthcare industry:
1.Supports
Blended Learning
Given the highly critical and sensitive nature of medical and healthcare processes, classroom-based instructor-led training (ILT) providing hands-on experiences can not be completely replaced with eLearning.Yet, the eLearning format is indispensable for Healthcare providers’ large workforce to utilize self-paced and on-demand learning in the form of online courses, video lessons, and social learning. Hence, it is crucial for an LMS to support Blended Learning that combines elements of ILT and eLearning.
Further, for the learners, the
holistic blend of training modalities – Videos, Reference Materials,
Assignments, Assessments, ILT along with new-age features like Gamification, AI-powered
Recommendation Engine– acts as a key driver for learner engagement too.
2.Automates
Compliance Management
In the high-stake and
high-regulation environment of healthcare, regulation and standards are always strengthened
to mitigate risks. An LMS provides a centralized, secure and stable platform to
automatically host, deliver and manage Compliance Training.
It can help in nurturing a culture of compliant behavior among the workforce
rather than taking it up as a mere obligatory task.
3.Simplifies
SOP training
For a leading healthcare providers with labs, medicine formulations etc. undergoing on-going and continuous changes, changes to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are inevitable. And, it is critical and mandatory for the staff working in the labs to be adept with the most recent SOPs rolled out by the organization. An LMS enables the delivery of relevant training to the labs’ staff to keep them up-to-date with the latest SOPs and avoid negligence and malpractice in the workplace.
4.Simplifies
Reporting and Analytics
A Learning Management System monitors and tracks employee learning progress and provides the outcome in the form of built-in detailed and sharable reports, charts and graphs. Reporting and Analytics can be used extensively to measure learning effectiveness based on course completions, quiz result, and milestones achieved; and to further decide if any additional training is required. This feature helps in building career plans constantly and intelligently.
5.Enables Anytime, Anywhere, Any Device Learning
Healthcare work life is demanding and laborious at all levels. Hence it is crucial for L&D to give employees the flexibility to learn on their own schedule and provide seamless learning opportunities irrespective of time, place, and learning devices. The device-agnostic feature of an LMS enables eLearning content look consistent across different devices like desktops, laptop, smartphones or tablets. Evidently, utilizing this LMS feature, results in higher rates of course completion and employee engagement compared to other traditional methods. Hence, for proficient LMS vendors, providing native mobile apps which synchronize with the learning platform is indispensable.
6.Brings
about Continuing Professional Development
Continuing professional development
(CPD) involves not only educational activities to enhance medical competence in
medical knowledge and skills, but also in management, team building,
professionalism, interpersonal communication, technology, teaching, and
accountability. An LMS
with dedicated CPD module enables easy assignment and management of CPD
points to various learning content along with linking them to certifications
too.
Takeaway
In the complex world of healthcare, LMS learning has proved to be an integral part of crucial L&D activities applying capability and reach to address different types of learning needs, modes, and expected outcomes. It is instrumental in driving employee engagement, competence and consequently, revenues, while adhering to a range of standards and norms. With proactive use of the right LMS, companies can establish a safe and highly productive workplace and bring finest of healthcare products and services to the society.
