Grant: Project Grant

Digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence and remote monitoring, are reshaping how healthcare is delivered in Canada. These tools promise greater efficiency and accessibility but also raise important questions about how healthcare work is organized and governed. Our project focuses on the real-world impacts of these technologies when they are deployed in healthcare teams that include regulated professionals, unregulated workers, and informal caregivers. In our study, we refer to these kinds of teams as complex labour ecosystems. Our research includes a national study of regulatory practices and a case study of technology deployment in homecare teams. We study how digital health tools affect roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities across this diverse mix of care providers in these complex labour ecosystems and how the organizations responsible for regulating and educating health professionals should respond. This work is urgent and timely. The current swarm of new technologies are presenting novel challenges for regulators. It is not always clear how these technologies are changing the ways decisions are made, tasks are completed, and accountabilities are shared. These changes have implications for the standards of practice and codes of conduct regulators enforce for professions. Without thoughtful regulation and guidance for the people working with these technologies in day-to-day care, we risk creating gaps in accountability, safety, and equity. By working with partners in homecare, education, and health system leadership, we aim to develop practical guidance for regulators, educators, and policymakers. Ultimately, our goal is to support healthcare systems that are innovative, inclusive, and responsive. We aspire towards technology use that enhances care without compromising professional values or public trust, and where all contributors to care are recognized and supported within evolving labour ecosystems.