The healthcare sector has the highest sickness absence in Norway - 9.4 percent according to NAV. Almost 10 million working days were lost in 2024 in health and care alone. But what if a significant part of the pressure isn't about the patients, but about everything else?

27 percent of resources go to administration

The Healthcare Personnel Commission (NOU 2023:4 «Time for Action») stated that 27 percent of full-time equivalents in health and care services are dedicated to administration and service work. Statistics Norway confirms that 1 in 4 full-time equivalents in specialist health services are used for administrative tasks.

For you as a leader, this means that every fourth dollar you spend on salaries does not go to patient care. This is a number that should have consequences for how we organize the workday.

Oslo Economics: Over 7,000 full-time equivalent jobs can be freed up

In the report «The Effect of Eliminating Time Wasters in Hospitals» (2025), Oslo Economics estimates that 17 percent of nurses' working hours could be freed up for core tasks if measures are implemented across documentation, coordination, and work organization. This corresponds to over 7,000 full-time equivalents nationally.

For mental health care alone, they estimate that AI-based documentation can save time equivalent to up to 1,400 positions.

The figures are conservative. And they point to a conclusion that health sector leaders should accept: the documentation burden is not just an annoyance for clinicians – it is a structural cost that affects capacity, quality, and the work environment.

The National Audit Office: Documentation systems that threaten patient safety

In 2024, the Office of the Auditor General published its review of the Health Platform in Mid-Norway. The numbers were discouraging: 84 percent of doctors and 64 percent of nurses reported that the system contributes to poorer patient safety – partly due to double registration and cumbersome workflows.

The Health Platform costs at least 6.6 billion Norwegian kroner, compared to the original budget of 4.1 billion. For healthcare leaders, this is a reminder that technology investments in documentation do not automatically lead to a better work environment – they must be designed with users at the center.

Sick leave and turnover: The hidden costs

The burden of documentation is not just a time thief – it is a strain that contributes to moral distress, burnout, and desire to quit. The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association has documented the connection between the digital work environment, burnout, and turnover in several articles in recent years.

For a department with 20 employees, one resignation can cost between 300,000 and 500,000 kroner in recruitment, training, and lost production. If the documentation burden is a contributing factor to people leaving, it's not just an HR problem – it's a budget issue.

What can you do as a leader?

NOU 2023:4 points out that the potential for efficiency lies in structured task division and good work organization. It's not about cutting corners, but about giving clinicians tools that allow them to use their time more effectively.

AI-based speech-to-text is one such tool. With solutions like MediVox Can healthcare professionals dictate journal notes?, Generate letters and references, and get well-structured notes – without manual formatting and post-processing.

MediVox can be tried for free of all employees, without obligation. The standard subscription costs from NOK 599 per month including VAT per user. For clinics with multiple users, enterprise solutions with customization are available.

Investing in the work environment is investing in quality.

As a leader in the healthcare sector, you balance budgets, staffing, and quality requirements every single day. The documentation burden is one of the few challenges where the solution can actually save money, improve the work environment, and increase quality – all at the same time.

The question isn't whether you can afford to invest in better documentation tools. The question is whether you can afford not to.

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