Voice Technology in Nursing
Methods & Outcomes
- Ethnographic field research
- Remote and asynchronous interviews
- Environmental scan
- Strategic innovation advisory
- Design recommendations
Team
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What if voice technology could truly support nurses, not distract them?
Highlights
In healthcare, voice assistants promise efficiency, but few are built with nurses in mind. A leading U.S. hospital network partnered with DFFRNT to explore how voice technology might support frontline nursing staff. With more than 2,600 care sites and 139 hospitals, this non-profit system is committed to advancing clinical excellence through innovation.
DFFRNT conducted in-depth ethnographic research at multiple care sites, embedding with nurses to understand their tasks, context, and pain points. The research revealed clear opportunities for voice tools to reduce cognitive burden, streamline documentation, and enable faster access to information.
Despite the surge in voice-enabled health apps, DFFRNT found no solutions designed specifically around the daily realities of nursing. This project bridged that gap with evidence-based insights and actionable recommendations.
The Client
One of the largest non-profit hospital systems in the U.S., the client operates over 2,600 care sites across the country. An internal innovation team works to surface clinical improvement opportunities across the network. They engaged DFFRNT to explore how voice technologies might support nurses more effectively.
The Challenge
Voice-enabled tech is everywhere, yet rarely optimized for the complex, high-stakes work of nursing. The client’s innovation team wanted to understand where voice solutions could meaningfully improve nurses' workflows without adding complexity or interfering with interpersonal communication.
Nurses operate in fast-paced environments with frequent interruptions, high cognitive demands, and critical coordination needs. DFFRNT needed to identify where voice tools could add value without eroding the human relationships central to care.
"Voice solutions have the power to support nurses, but we must choose solutions that sustain, rather than erode, the nursing culture of interpersonal communication."
The Solution
DFFRNT used a mixed-methods approach combining ethnographic observation, interviews, and an environmental scan. Researchers shadowed nurses in Wisconsin hospitals, capturing the rhythms of real work: 27 minutes spent charting in a single hour, 13 alarms, multiple phone calls, and frequent system interruptions.
Through interviews, DFFRNT uncovered unmet needs and clarified which voice interactions would be most helpful. A parallel environmental scan identified emerging trends and technologies in voice AI that could translate to healthcare contexts.
This layered research approach revealed practical, human-centred design opportunities, such as voice-enabled bedside alarms, verbal note-taking, and data lookups that reduce the need to toggle between systems.
The Outcome
DFFRNT’s research surfaced eight opportunity areas for voice technology in nursing. The most impactful potential applications focus on easing documentation burdens, improving situational awareness, and enabling better coordination across care teams.
Findings emphasized the need for customization, low cognitive overhead, and solutions that reinforce rather than disrupt nursing culture. DFFRNT delivered strategic guidance on how voice tools could be adopted across varied healthcare environments while respecting nurses' real-world conditions.
Key Takeaways
- Voice tools must align with nursing’s fast-paced, interpersonal workflows
- Reducing cognitive load is essential for adoption in clinical settings
- Ethnographic research reveals what nurses truly need, not just what tech can do
- Effective solutions integrate across systems to reduce friction
- Customization supports diverse care settings and user preferences
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