The short answer
Nobody can tell you accurately where their admin time goes. Watching the work for a day reveals duplicate entry, workarounds and repeated small tasks that nobody mentions because they are so routine.
That observation is the highest value hour in the project.
What usually accounts for the time
| Source | Typical fix |
|---|---|
| Entering the same data twice | Connect the systems |
| Finding information across systems | One view, read only if needed |
| Repetitive standard notes | Templates with room to edit |
| Chasing results or replies | Status visible without asking |
| Logging in repeatedly | Single sign-on |
Repeated logins sound trivial and are not. Several a day, across a workforce, is a substantial amount of time and a constant irritation.
Automate carefully
- Automate the collection and movement of information.
- Automate reminders and status, which need no judgement.
- Draft, do not finalise, anything clinical.
- Never auto-complete a record on someone's behalf.
- Make every automated action visible and reversible.
Point three is the line. Drafting a letter for a clinician to review and sign is helpful; producing one that goes out unreviewed is not acceptable.
Watch for work that moves rather than disappears
A system that saves administrative staff time by asking clinicians to enter data themselves has not reduced burden, it has relocated it to the more expensive and more scarce group.
Ask who does each step before and after. If work moved towards clinical staff, the change needs justifying rather than claiming a saving.
Measure what people actually notice
- Time spent on documentation per session
- How often the same information is entered twice
- Number of systems used to complete one task
- Time spent chasing information
- Whether staff say it improved, asked directly
The last one is not a soft measure. If staff do not feel any benefit, the change will be worked around whatever the figures say.