Document Type
Thesis or dissertation
Date of this Version
4-25-2022
Advisor
Benjamin Shestakofsky
Abstract
Since the Agricultural Revolution, each time there is a dramatic change in societal progress, jobs are replaced and transformed. This paper explores how Robotic Process Automation (RPA) impacts jobs in healthcare systems. RPA is a type of software robot that automates the actions of humans interacting with digital technology systems, websites, or software applications to conduct a particular process. Specifically, the study will explore how tasks within various types of healthcare workers' jobs change, which specific jobs have the highest likelihood of replacement, and the key considerations healthcare systems take into account when implementing RPA. The study consists of a comparative analysis of five major healthcare systems in the United States that have either implemented RPA or are in the process of implementing the technology and explores operations in healthcare systems before, during, and after digital transformation. Using case studies, the study finds that individual, rule-based tasks are the most likely to be automated and that RPA provides more benefit than harm to the jobs of healthcare workers. This is so because technology reduces burnout and enables healthcare workers to spend more time with patients. The increases in efficiency gained by RPA enable hospitals to provide improved quality and access to care for patients.
Keywords
Robotic Process Automation, Intelligent Automation, Socio-Technical Systems Theory, Healthcare, Palonyi’s Paradox
Recommended Citation
Thaler, E. (2022). "Dr. Robot or Dr. Efficiency? The Impact of Robotic Process Automation on Jobs in Healthcare," Joseph Wharton Scholars. Available at https://repository.upenn.edu/joseph_wharton_scholars/120
Date Posted: 25 July 2022