Across the NHS and the wider health sector, teams are routinely promised that new digital tools will improve efficiency, reduce pressure, streamline processes, and free up clinical capacity.
All too often however, those promises fail to materialise.
Instead, tools introduce extra logins, duplicate steps, or subtly shift administrative work back onto clinicians who already have no spare capacity.
Whether you work inside a Trust or commission tools as a digital health startup, the question is the same: how do you know if a product will actually improve efficiency rather than adding to the workload?
Below are five practical indicators that help separate genuine value from unhelpful optimism.
1. Start with workflow, not features
Efficiency, in digital health, comes from fitting the work as it actually happens. Alignment, not novelty.
A tool must fit the actual workflow of the people who use it: shift patterns, patient flow, documentation habits, and the realities of clinical pressure. If it forces staff to work differently in order for the system to function, it is unlikely to deliver any efficiency.
Ask to see how the digital health tool will map onto a normal care pathway. How does the workflow look with and without it? If the picture is not simpler, it will not feel simpler.
If a tool forces staff to change their working habits to accommodate it, rather than supporting the way they already practise, time savings are unlikely.
If it cannot clearly show where steps are removed, or where delays are shortened, you are unlikely to see meaningful gains.
2. Spot early extra admin red flags
Almost every product that fails to save time shows the same early symptoms. Most time sinks reveal themselves quickly and early warning signs include:
- Repeated data entry across multiple systems because the system does not integrate.
- Additional steps disguised as “new features” where processes were previously straightforward.
- Unclear handovers, resulting in staff having to double-check or chase information.
- Interruptive alerts that slow clinicians down rather than helping them make faster decisions.
Despite being manageable in theory, even one of these red flags is far from ideal; several together indicate that workload could increase rather than decrease.
3. Ask suppliers for evidence
Suppliers who are confident about time savings can demonstrate them clearly.
Instead of abstract claims, ask for:
- Short recordings of real users completing real tasks.
- Before-and-after, screen-by-screen comparisons showing reduced steps in a workflow.
- Usability testing insights from frontline staff.
- Data from pilots or live environments, even if small-scale.
Claims alone are not enough. Evidence does not need to be perfect or polished, but it must exist. If efficiency cannot be shown in a simple workflow, it is unlikely to emerge after rollout.
4. Involve frontline staff early
The quickest way to know whether a digital health tool will create extra work is to let the people who will use it assess it.
Ward nurses, AHPs, receptionists, clinicians, GPs, and community teams will spot inefficiencies a mile off: the additional login, the unclear button, the missing integration, the ambiguity in a form… Their insight at the start of a project is infinitely valuable and will help prevent a month’s worth of post-launch troubleshooting.
If frontline staff describe a tool as “another system to keep on top of”, listen to them. They are almost always right and their feedback is more important than any product roadmap, pitch deck, or feature list.
Early involvement prevents expensive redesign later and helps stop tools from being abandoned after launch.
5. Don’t test on a ‘demo day’
Demonstrations rarely show the pressures of real clinical environments.
The true test is whether a digital tool works and improves efficiency during:
- a high-pressure ward round
- a busy primary care session
- a clinic running behind schedule
- a day where staffing is reduced
- a service where demand is unpredictable
Whether you are a clinical team selecting a digital heath tool, or a startup trialling your product, the real test is ordinary operational pressure. If it only works when everything else is calm, it will not save time in practice.
Ask the right questions and avoid wasted time
Digital health tools can save staff significant time when they are designed around the realities of clinical work. By grounding decisions in workflows, evidence, and frontline input, clinical teams can avoid the cycle of repeated disappointment and select tools that genuinely support care whilst improving efficiency.
If you’d like a broader guide on evaluating digital health products, our white paper explores these principles in more depth and offers a structured approach to commissioning digital solutions that work.
Download the white paper