Play The Podcast: Episode 92: AI Use in Physiotherapy Practice – The HIA Redux
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10 November 2026
Speakers: Sean FitzGerald and Leanne Loranger
Artificial intelligence is increasingly part of physiotherapy practice, from appointment booking and clinical documentation to measurement tools, biometric tracking and rehabilitation technologies. In this episode of College Conversations, Leanne and Sean explore what physiotherapists need to know before adopting or using AI in practice.
The key message is clear: AI may support professional judgment, but it cannot replace it. Physiotherapists remain accountable for every decision, action and client outcome. They must understand how an AI tool works, critically assess its outputs, watch for bias and errors, and maintain the clinical reasoning skills needed to recognize when something is wrong. Physiotherapists must be able to explain their decisions and cannot rely on AI to compensate for gaps in knowledge or skills.
The episode also examines privacy obligations under Alberta’s Health Information Act, including transparency, consent, record keeping, cross-border data storage and Privacy Impact Assessments. Physiotherapists need to review vendor agreements carefully and understand how client information is collected, used, stored, shared and destroyed by the AI systems they select.
Other topics discussed include cybersecurity, clinical validation, AI impact assessments, ongoing competence, practice drift and the environmental effects of AI systems.
Before using AI, physiotherapists should assess the benefits and risks, confirm appropriate safeguards are in place, seek expert advice about contracts when needed and keep the client’s best interests at the centre of every decision, in every setting where it appears.
