At the UC Berkeley Center for Health Management and Policy Research, Anette Hallin, Professor of Business Admin at Mälardalen University and Chris Ivory, Professor of Innovation Management at Mälardalen University, participated to a presentation “Unfulfilled Promises of AI and Advanced Digital Technologies in the Daily Work of Healthcare Professionals: Examples from European Healthcare”.

Prof. Hallin and Prof. Ivory presented insights from the TechConnect project. Drawing on 12 case studies across four European hospitals, they explored how these technologies are actually used in everyday clinical work.

While AI and digital tools are often associated with efficiency and transformation, the research highlights a more nuanced reality. Technologies succeed or struggle depending on how well they align with existing workflows, organisational systems, and professional practices.

A key concept discussed was “bridging work”: the additional, often unseen effort healthcare professionals make to ensure technologies function in practice, including adapting systems, filling gaps, and integrating tools into daily routines.

The seminar, attended by around 15 participants, also opened up new opportunities. Researchers at University of California, Berkeley are preparing empirical studies on similar technologies. Discussions continued beyond Berkeley, with meetings at Stanford Biodesign and University of California, San Francisco. Across institutions, there was clear interest in the findings and scope to reconnect.