From Concept to Care: Health Technology Talent in Alberta

Introduction

Digital health technologies like virtual care platforms and electronic health records have become much more familiar to Albertans and Canadians as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past five years, Alberta has adopted technologies to manage emergency distance care while rolling out its electronic health record (EHR) unification project, Connect Care. At the same time, structural barriers to equitable access to technology-enabled health care persist, such as inadequate or unaffordable broadband infrastructure in remote and rural communities. In addition, the province’s health care system has faced unprecedented pressure, including a shortage of primary care providers and an increase in continuing care needs.

Drawing from 39 in-depth interviews with health care companies, service providers, and policymakers, as well as a practitioner survey and an ecosystem scan, this study asks how labour market demand intersects with health technology in Alberta. It examines the state of labour demand in health care in the province, as well as the digital health-related skills that health care practitioners increasingly require in their roles. It also describes the province’s health care technology business ecosystem, who is being hired, and which roles are difficult to fill. It closes with commentary from health care experts about workforce development, including the role of postsecondaries, interdisciplinary health technology programs, and work-integrated learning. industry.