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The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the rapid expansion of virtual services and automated patient care. While there is a growing body of research on how organizations can leverage algorithm-enabled systems to make patient decisions, attention to the synergistic combination of organizational resources surrounding the use of these systems in providing virtual patient care has been limited. More importantly, the enablement of new avenues for value-creation has been overlooked. This presentation report how health practitioners within virtual contexts successfully use algorithm-enabled patients care systems based on interviews with health professionals working in a Virtual Intensive Care Unit. 

As the general population ages and life expectancy increases in the United States, demand for virtual health care is also on the rise. Undoubtedly, the next several decades will see a rise in automated patient care and the widespread use of data-driven warning systems, trends which have already accelerated in the wake of Covid-19. Thus, understanding how traditionally trained healthcare practitioners respond to predictive analytics, like early warning systems, is vital for their successful implementation in the future. Our findings both reinforce and also extend previous research on tele-ICU’s and early warning systems, offering important insights into the relational and organizational dynamics that underlie their implementation. Overall, healthcare workers are more willing to accept the use of technology in their workplace when they see tangible benefits to themselves. Administrators who were removed from everyday interactions with algorithmic systems were highly skeptical of their utility. 

This qualitative study draws on interviews and observations with nurses working in a virtual intensive care unit and using algorithms to track patient progress. It overviews how health practitioners navi- gate algorithmic systems to build relationships with other providers and patients, with attention to strategies for accountability and ad- vocacy in virtual healthcare contexts.