Regulating professionals in virtual practice: Protecting the public interest in rapidly changing digital workplaces

Abstract

Regulating professionals in virtual practice: Protecting the public interest in rapidly changing digital workplaces is co-funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Government of Canada's Future Skills program », « La règlementation des professionnels en milieu virtuel: Protéger l'intérêt publique dans ces nouveaux environnement de travail virtuel est cofinancé par le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines et le programme Compétences futures du Gouvernement du Canada.

Regulating in the public interest: Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…13 Regulatory practices need to adapt to the digital era in response to new technologies and socio-technical landscapes altering work practices and service provision. 5 The widespread shift to virtual care has altered regulatory activities, with new considerations around consent and privacy; 14 modified complaints investigations and discipline processes; 15 and reformed entry-to-practice requirements to include digital competencies. 16 - 17 Harmonizing regulation across Canadian jurisdictions, particularly in the era of virtual care, has taken on new and heightened significance as an aspect of protecting (or serving) the public interest.…”

“…38 Reforms to facilitate cross-jurisdictional licensure and virtual care provision have become prominent topics of discussion in Canada and the United States. 18 - 19 , 39 Interjurisdictional mobility of the health workforce within and between countries 5 , 13 and interjurisdictional virtual care 16 , 17 may be enhanced through occupational licensing reforms, such as the expansion or uptake of licensure compacts and national licensure, 39 , 40 federal regulation of telehealth where appropriate, and licensing or registration options specific to telehealth. 40 A new pilot project for interjurisdictional registration for virtual care for registered nurses in Alberta and Saskatchewan and movement toward national databases of registration data using unique identifiers are important steps in the right direction, 13 but more needs to be done to support the harmonization of regulation across borders for all health professions.…”

“…1 Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, regulation of health professions was increasingly scrutinized as stakeholders questioned whether regulatory frameworks were protecting a modern public. [2][3][4][5] As the pandemic unfolded, the strengths and weaknesses of regulatory structures and frameworks were highlighted, particularly around enabling flexible workforce responses and quickly responding to societal needs. 6,7 While the long-term impacts of the pandemic on health profession regulation, the health system, and the health workforce are not yet known, health leaders in various sectors can learn lessons from regulatory responses this critical juncture has begun to impart.…”

Protecting the public interest while regulating health professionals providing virtual care: A scoping review

“…This scoping review is part of a larger project on regulating virtual work that reviewed additional sources for professions outside health and presented policy case studies to provide a deeper dive into specific Canadian examples and contexts. The report for the full project is openly available on Athabasca University's institutional repository (29), and the evidence brief is available on the website of the funding agency, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. (30)…”

“…The report for the full project is openly available on Athabasca University's institutional repository (29), and the evidence brief is available on the website of the funding agency, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. (30)…”