Burnout in nursing and midwifery is all too real. Busy doesn’t even begin to describe the slow grind of constant interruptions, double-handling, difficult shifts, emotional load, and the never-ending admin that often swallows the job. Across Australia, digital health tools are stepping up to ease some of that pressure, with technology being used to give nurses and midwives back time, smoother teamwork and safer workflows. The biggest wins tend to come from tools that lead to: less chasing information, fewer phone calls and pages, fewer repeated questions, fewer paper processes, and fewer “workarounds” that create stress. Here are the most practical categories of digital tools making a real difference – and how they help.

1. Better electronic records
Electronic medical records (EMRs) are now a fact of life in most hospitals, including large state-wide platforms such as eHealth NSW’s Electronic Medical Record (eMR) and Queensland Health’s integrated electronic Medical Record (ieMR). The idea behind digital records is to reduce errors and improve access to information. Sounds great! However, if the system is clunky, poorly integrated, or requires too many clicks, it can add to workload and stress.

When EMRs are configured well and supported properly, it leads to:

• Cut time spent hunting for information (obs history, results, allergies, care plans) because the record is accessible and legible.
• Reduce duplication (the same detail re-entered across multiple forms).
• Standardise best-practice workflows so you’re not reinventing the wheel during a busy shift.
• Improve safety by making key information visible to the whole team.

Burnout tip: EMRs don’t reduce burnout automatically – the ‘burnout win’ comes from workflow optimisation (templates that match nursing and midwifery practice, sensible defaults, fewer duplicate fields) plus reliable hardware (enough devices, good Wi-Fi) and training that fits real shifts.

2) Digital medication management
Medication rounds are often busy, loud and disruptive with everything going on in a hospital environment, which is exactly the kind of environment that leads to errors and too much pressure on staff.

Digital medication tools are a great way to help. They get rid of the need for paper-based processes, replacing them with clearer, more consistent workflows. In NSW, eHealth NSW’s Electronic Medication Management (eMeds) is designed to improve the accuracy and visibility of medication information so clinicians can view medication records digitally rather than trawling paper files.

This leads to:

• Less cognitive load: fewer manual cross-checks, clearer charts.
• Fewer interruptions and clarifications: the information is visible to the team.
• Less “paper chasing”: no missing charts, no illegible handwriting, no hunting down folders.
• More confidence during busy shifts: safer systems reduce the stress of “did I miss something?”

And outside hospitals, Australia’s shift to electronic prescribing is also reducing paper handling and transcription risks. Fewer paper scripts to manage means fewer clarification loops and makes it easier for both doctors and patients.

3) Secure team messaging
Communication is the key to a thriving workplace and one of the fastest burnout wins comes from improving how teams manage this.

In NSW, Role Based Messaging (RBM) within Microsoft Teams enables fast, secure clinical communication by connecting clinicians directly to the right on-duty specialist team without needing paging, switchboards, or manually tracking rosters.

NSW has also expanded Teams-based clinical collaboration tools such as MedSync, which supports secure sharing of clinical photography/video into a patient’s record and collaboration across teams.

This leads to:

• Fewer interruptions: messages land with the right person/team, not “whoever answers”.
• Less time wasted: reduced chasing, fewer unanswered calls, fewer “try extension X”.
• Better teamwork: smoother escalation and handover, especially after-hours.
• Lower emotional load: when communication works, the whole shift feels more manageable.

Even small communication improvements add up, because they reduce the constant “background stress” that drains people over time.

4) Virtual care + remote monitoring
Virtual care isn’t just convenient for patients. It can keep people out of the hospital, which reduces the demand on medical staff as well.

NSW’s Remote Patient Monitoring program uses technology to monitor and connect patients with health professionals, delivering care at home or in the community. Victoria’s statewide Victorian Virtual Emergency Department provides 24/7 virtual consultations with emergency-trained clinicians for non-life-threatening issues, reducing unnecessary ED presentations and ambulance transport.

This leads to:

• Fewer preventable presentations, which means less crowding.
• Better flow so more time is spent on actual care.
• New job options created through virtual nursing and monitoring.

5) Digital wellbeing support
Not all digital health tools are clinical systems. Some are designed to support the workforce directly.

The Australian Government-funded Nurse Midwife Health Program Australia provides free, confidential support (including telehealth) delivered by nurses and midwives for nurses, midwives and students.

This leads to:

• Lowering of the barrier to getting help (no travel, easier scheduling).
• Peer-led support that can feel safer for clinicians who worry they’ll be judged.
• Early support, which can prevent “crisis mode” where people leave the profession entirely.

A common trap is thinking the tool itself fixes burnout. In reality, tools reduce burnout when they fit the way nurses and midwives actually work. The right tools, implemented well, can remove daily pressure. The best part? Many of these tools already exist in Australian systems. This means the next step is more about how to implement, optimise and support them so they actually give time and energy back to the workforce.