Proeftuin - Technologie voor werkbaar werk in zorg- en welzijnssectoren

The Healthcare and welfare sector faces numerous challenges. We identify the main ones:

1) An increasing demand for care and care support due to aging and the growing elderly population, with citizens having higher expectations regarding the quality and accessibility of care.

2) The current labor shortage, either on its own or due to replacement needs. Finding new and skilled healthcare personnel is currently one of the biggest challenges for employers. A shortage of staff directly impacts workload, job satisfaction, and the quality of care.

3) Healthcare is becoming more technical, complex, and multidisciplinary. This rapid evolution requires continuous training and adaptation of healthcare personnel and improved information exchange in multidisciplinary care teams.

4) Healthcare personnel now need to address not only the physical needs but also the emotional and psychological needs of the care recipient. This can impose a heavy emotional toll on healthcare personnel, affecting their own mental well-being.

5) Conscious and correct choices must be made in terms of available resources, such as recommending a shift from curative to more preventive care, which naturally also has implications for healthcare personnel.

This puts the concept of 'workable work' under growing pressure. Workable work consists of four components: mental fatigue, well-being at work, work-life balance, and learning opportunities. Focusing on manageable work has an impact on both the employee (more enjoyment, continuous learning, longer tenure, less sickness) and the employer (lower turnover, more motivated individuals, longer retention of knowledge capital).

To address these challenges, there is a need for innovative solutions and new ways of working. The integration of technology into the healthcare and welfare sector has significant potential to make the work of healthcare personnel more workable. The goal of this project is to utilize, test, and evaluate existing and new (but mature) technology to improve the workability of staff within healthcare and welfare facilities. Successfully assessed solutions will be transferred to the field and implementation partners.

The added value of technology in relieving and training existing staff in healthcare and welfare sectors, as well as efficiently training new employees, is evident. Technology should not replace jobs but rather support and enhance healthcare personnel in their competencies and tasks. Technology should have an impact on work organization and/or working conditions.