BENGALURU - Nursing as a profession is facing extreme rates of attrition, something which has a direct negative impact on the quality, outcomes, and costs of patient experiences.

Hospitals and provider networks across the globe are facing a tremendous staffing challenge due to the increased amount of nursing churn over the past few years during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current levels of turnover of registered nurses (RNs) are burdening hospitals with exorbitant turnover and operational costs. Moreover, RNs almost always work in extremely fast-paced and stressful environments, quickly leading to dissatisfaction and burnout. According to a report, by the end of 2022 four in 10 nurses in the United States plan to find a nursing job elsewhere, and nearly a third plan to leave the field altogether.¹

Also, per a report published by the renowned American Hospital Association, there is expected to be a shortage of up to 3.2 million healthcare workers by 2026.²

An article published earlier in 2022 stated that the average cost of turnover for a bedside RN is USD46,100, resulting in losses of USD5.2 million - USD9 million for the average hospital.  The average length of time needed to fill a vacant nursing position is 87 days, which can extend well beyond three months for more specialized roles.³ The cost of turnover has a profound impact on diminishing hospital margins, and so managing it must be made a high priority.

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications can be leveraged to combat nurse turnover in various dimensions within clinical, administrative, and operational functions, as outlined below:

- Workload management: AI-powered voice assistance systems can help nurses perform tasks more quickly and keep them on schedule. They also decrease workloads and staffing requirements during night shifts. With AI monitoring devices