The Human Element: Why Culture Outshines Tech in Modern Hospitals

At a time when there is much talk about the use of robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, liquid-state quantum processors, and other advancements, we cannot overlook the fact that the provision of medical services is a service industry, not a manufacturing one, and relies heavily on human beings. This encompasses both the medical practice and administration, in their medical and “hospitality” aspects.

Broadly speaking, companies are classified by industry: service or manufacturing. Of the two, I believe the service sector is the more complex, since providing quality service depends on the consistency of staff mood and their adherence to processes/procedures. This becomes even more complicated when you’re in highly complex industries like hospitals, which are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and where any adverse event can result in loss of life.

In this type of industry, you depend on redundant processes and strict adherence to safety protocols, as well as critical decision-making that cannot wait; therefore, frontline staff must be empowered and trained to make decisions. Now, if we add to this complexity the “hospitality” aspect of private medicine, where expectations are often high, this element can either elevate the experience or ruin an otherwise extraordinary medical procedure.

Here are a few other points to keep in mind, which we’ll touch on briefly: in private hospitals, the staff members patients interact with most frequently are nurses and technicians; the majority of nursing staff are women, who face significant commuting times to and from work; some even hold two jobs; most of the interaction on the ward is with family members, and the main reasons patients call for a nurse via the room call button are to use the restroom, due to pain, or to adjust their pillows; the most critical moments that impact service quality are “Check-In” and “Check-Out.” Nursing staff are the eyes, ears, and hands of the organization, at all times and at all hours.

From this, we can deduce the importance of the organizational culture in hospitals, which directly impacts staff to unify their mood — a task that is among the most difficult and must be addressed from the outset through staff profiling and selection.

Over the past year, due to various circumstances — and after a lifetime of never being in a hospital as a patient or a patient’s family member — we visited the four main hospitals in the city where I live for a variety of procedures: cancer treatment, a torn knee ligament and meniscus, peripheral vascular disease, and a bladder diverticulum. Based on this experience, I can report the following regarding nursing care, administrative services, and pricing: one had very poor service and was very expensive; another offered technically good service but was very “cold” and distant toward patients, though reasonably priced; the next provided service that technically met the bare minimum without much extra effort, at a moderately priced rate; and finally, a hospital with a young, highly trained, empathetic, and compassionate staff, at a reasonable price for the area.

All have extraordinary facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, but the one with the greatest growth in patient care and the highest number of doctors wishing to join the medical staff is the last one described, making it very clear that the organizational culture, led by committed leadership, has a significant impact on the final outcome.

Furthermore, it boasts the best indicators of medical and service quality in the area, reflecting the belief that the best hospital is not the one with the best equipment or the finest facilities, but the one where patients fare the best.

In an era of “commodities” and “red oceans,” the quality of medical care and “hospitality” services is undoubtedly a major differentiator. Anyone can have the best equipment and the best facilities — that’s a matter of money, which isn’t hard to come by these days. The real challenge lies in having the right, committed staff who can make a difference. We must remember that staff are not an asset, capital, or a resource; they are a reflection of our organizational culture.

To conclude, there is no doubt that rapidly advancing emerging technology, will undoubtedly provide strong support for processes — both in medical care and in medical and hospitality services — but at present, it is unlikely to replace the human touch inherent in the warmth of staff who are convinced that their manner, training, and compassionate care make all the difference.