As hospitals across Michigan grapple with nursing issues, including high turnover driven by burnout, some are leaning on technology to give staff breaks from nonmedical work and physical tasks.

Two hospitals on the west side of the state are now using a suite of programs called Helen. Founded in Grand Rapids in 2022, it allows nurses to use an app on their phones to perform duties, such as "opening" a hospital room or preparing the room for a patient who's coming. Nurses can also request items such as blankets that another staff member brings.

Relieving nurses of nonmedical work allows them to "practice at the top of their license," said Brianna Boedeker-Welsh, Helen's chief of staff. "You don't have to go to nursing school to know how to get a water or close blinds or get a pillow, but

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