Paper short abstract:

This study delves into technology's influence on healthcare, focusing on a Dutch company's use of remote care. It reveals a shift from personal care to efficiency-driven methods, like replacing nurse empathy with online sessions. Ethical concerns arise regarding the mechanization of emotional care.

Paper long abstract:

This ethnographic study investigates the impact of technology integration in healthcare provision, with a focus on a Netherlands-based healthcare company's utilization of remote care assistance and AI tracking tools. Over three months, one of the researchers immersed themselves in the company's operations to explore how technology affects relational and empathic care dimensions. The study uncovers a complex interplay between technological advancements and caregiving principles, highlighting the gradual substitution of relational and empathic practices with efficiency-driven approaches. Central to these technological innovations is the replacement of face-to-face empathy provision from nurses with 15-minute online weekly coaching sessions, labelled as the “empathy of the week” that homecaring clients are supposed to receive. The company's overarching goal is to optimize care delivery by reducing nurses' in-person interaction time, prioritizing efficiency over empathic engagement. This paradigm shift prompts critical reflections on the nature of empathic connection in a digital context and raises ethical concerns about the mechanization of emotional practices in healthcare. Drawing from ethnographic data and in-depth interviews with the company employees, the presenters will discuss how this efficiency-centric approach manifests in organizational ethos, interpersonal dynamics, and recipient experiences. The study underscores the ethical implications of rethinking efficiency in relational care, emphasizing the potential dehumanization and mechanization of technopolitical transition within healthcare settings.