AI in nursing involves the use of AI-augmented systems and technologies to automate certain routine nursing tasks and provide insights for nursing decisions. Artificial intelligence in nursing can also be used to analyze patient data extracted from sensors. Nurses who use AI tools should, however, be mindful of ethical considerations.
Artificial intelligence allows computer systems to process vast amounts of data and generate insights. Because of its potential to increase productivity, AI has been making inroads in multiple industries, including nursing. AI in nursing can support nurses’ work, but it cannot replace clinical judgment.
At the University of St. Thomas-Houston’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, you can enjoy a high-tech nursing education that prepares you to tackle complex challenges in healthcare while still understanding the foundational needs of the human person. If you have a completed non-nursing bachelor’s degree or at least 60 college credits, you could be eligible to earn your BSN in as few as 12 months at UST.
As you prepare to pursue a career in nursing, take a closer look at the role of artificial intelligence in the nursing field and how it’s impacting nursing practice. Pay attention to the ethical implications of AI in nursing as you sharpen your technology and data literacy skills.
What Is AI in Nursing?
Artificial intelligence could be used in many ways in the nursing field. For example, it may be integrated into administrative activities, patient monitoring, population health data analytics, diagnostics, and even patient education. Artificial intelligence in nursing can support decision-making by generating insights, automating certain tasks to reduce workload and increase nursing efficiency, and potentially improve patient care through automatic detection of changes in a patient’s health status.
Consider how technology in nursing can help advance patient care.
Ways That AI Is Impacting Nursing Practice
One way AI can improve nursing efficiency is by allowing nurses to delegate routine tasks, such as dosage calculations, to AI-assisted technologies. The completion of routine tasks by AI technologies can free up more time for clinicians to provide direct patient care. Medication reconciliation, patient scheduling, and clinical documentation are all areas where AI can speed up the process.
AI might even be used on the patient-facing side of healthcare. For example, AI-augmented technologies can be used to teach patients about proper medication management. AI might even interpret lab results for patients upon request and analyze data from wearable sensors.
AI can be used in many ways in the nursing field. Other examples of AI in nursing could include:
- Analyzing data to evaluate the risk of patient falls and hospital readmission
- Identifying potential drug interactions
- Integrating into patient triage systems in the emergency room
- Recommending treatment plans
Ethical and Safety Considerations to Keep in Mind
Although AI has the potential to augment nursing care by improving efficiency and detecting health issues earlier, note that there are significant ethical and safety concerns.
The Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements from the American Nurses Association (ANA) emphasizes that AI and other advanced technologies cannot replace a nurse’s critical thinking, assessment skills, decision-making, or judgment. University of St. Thomas supports and practices this mindset. We teach our nurses that thinking critically and using patient-centered feedback to assess a situation is foundational to holistic healthcare.
Other ethical and safety considerations to keep in mind include:
- The potential for a breach of computer security and privacy that violates patients’ HIPAA rights
- The frequency with which artificial intelligence systems fabricate non-factual information
- AI algorithm bias, which may lead to harmful outcomes for diverse patients
- Artificial intelligence infrastructure, such as data centers, has been linked to pollution and negative health effects
A Look at Artificial Intelligence in Nursing Education
Artificial intelligence is slowly being integrated into the nursing field and nursing education. Some schools, for example, may offer an AI nursing tutor that can answer questions, encourage critical thinking, and offer in-depth information about nursing care topics, both fundamental and advanced.
Some health education professionals have suggested that AI could be used to create personalized, or precision, education, similar to precision medicine that is tailored to each patient. In other words, AI could be used to identify a student’s unique strengths and weaknesses to design an educational program suited to their needs.
Other potential uses of AI in nursing education may include:
- AI-enriched nursing simulation, such as AI-integrated medical manikins that interact with nursing students more realistically than current manikins
- AI-integrated virtual reality and augmented reality, which offer immersive learning experiences
- Virtual exploration of the social determinants of health, including inequitable access to safe housing, nutritious food, and healthcare
When considering the possible effects of AI on nursing education, it’s important to keep in mind the potential drawbacks, including ethical concerns. Some disadvantages may include an overreliance on technology, which can detract from the development of critical thinking skills. There are also concerns about implicit bias in AI algorithms, as well as security and privacy risks.
Why Nurses Need Tech and Data Literacy Skills
As AI is increasingly integrated into the workplace, graduating nurse candidates need to stay on top of the trend by strengthening their tech and data literacy skills. It’s necessary to maintain adaptability, as new healthcare technologies will continue to emerge and nurses begin integrating them into their clinical practice. Even without AI, tech skills are critical, as nurses regularly use them to update electronic health records and operate high-tech medical equipment.
Do you have these top qualities of a good nurse?
How UST Prepares Nurses for a High-Tech Career
At the University of St. Thomas, our mission is to prepare nursing students for a high-tech career by equipping them with not only the technical and clinical skills needed but also with a strong commitment to professional ethics with attention to the needs of the human person. Our graduates can confidently navigate ethically challenging situations in healthcare, including the implications of AI in nursing.
Furthermore, our state-of-the-art labs are fully equipped with the same technology our graduates will encounter in the workplace. Here, you’ll work on high-tech medical manikins and become comfortable with the nursing environment.
“Our simulation activities are designed to help students hone their assessment skills and practice clinical judgment in a safe environment.” – Dr. Claudine Dufrene, Executive Dean
Discover if you are eligible to apply to UST’s ABSN program in Shenandoah, Sugar Land, or Midtown Houston, Texas. Contact an admissions advisor today.