“I’m not technical” – Why healthcare executives need to understand the strategic value of technology

It’s a phrase I hear a lot.  “I’m not technical”.

As a technologist and healthcare consultant, I get to work with healthcare executives from around the world, helping them to understand the strategic value of digital health.  One of the key distinctives of Australian healthcare executives is the speed with which many distance themselves from knowledge about technology.  “I’m not technical”.

It’s interesting that so many executives are so willing and so eager to make this admission. When it comes to accounting and finances, it’s interesting to reflect on the fact that it wouldn’t be acceptable to say “I don’t do numbers” or “I really struggle to read accounts”. To be a rounded and capable healthcare executive and to share those sentiments would be tantamount to saying “I’m not very good at my job”.

So in that context, why is it acceptable, and in some cases almost a badge of honour to utter the statement “I’m not technical”?

Now I appreciate that technology is complex and multi-faceted. And I’m not saying that everybody needs to know how to program, or to write SQL queries, or to manage ICT infrastructure. But I do think that it is a responsibility of healthcare executives to care about and have an understanding of the strategic value of technology.

As health organisations across the world deal with a myriad of complex issues following the acute phase of the COVID pandemic: financial sustainability, workforce, funding models and digital change (to name a few), it is increasingly clear that digital health, underpinned by technology, has a huge role to play in redefining the health system’s outdated models of care. And what is important today will only become more important tomorrow.

In the United States, most healthcare executives have a much stronger sense of their obligation to understand and incorporate digital health and technology into their roles. Regardless of whether their roles make direct or indirect use of technology, well-rounded execs are comfortable in discussing how technology can support healthcare delivery and improve safety, quality, efficiency and patient engagement.

The same needs to be true in Australia. It’s time to stop saying “I’m not technical”. It’s time to recognise that support is available and that digital health, underpinned by technology, has a critical role in the future of Australian healthcare.

A good starting point might be the Digital Health Foundations course run by Semantic Consulting, in partnership with Rebbeck. Designed for clinicians, board members and healthcare executives, it’s a way to understand digital health without having to be technical. We’ll introduce you to the key factors that are shaping technology in healthcare so you are equipped to deal with digital change in healthcare. Give us a shout if you’d like to know more.

And let’s stop saying “I’m not technical”.

P.S. And welcome back to the Semantic Consulting blog. It’s been a while…