The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly common among healthcare providers. For some people, these new technologies seem exciting and feel like a way to improve patient care. Others feel concerned about the loss of human touch that is often associated with AI in nursing.
While each of these feelings is valid, nurses must find a way to take advantage of new technologies while still maintaining high levels of care and compassion and avoiding the trap of relying too much on technology to make decisions and create care plans.
Related: Artificial Intelligence in Nursing
Benefits of AI in nursing
The benefits of artificial intelligence are undeniable. AI systems can filter through massive amounts of information in a matter of milliseconds. They can answer questions, solve problems, and even create stories. AI systems like ChatGPT can be used to create an exercise plan, draft a letter, design an invitation, and so much more.
As this technology advances, its use in healthcare expands. Both patients and providers can sometimes rely on artificial intelligence systems to make patient care more efficient, cost-effective, and safe.
Patient monitoring
One of the most basic ways that providers have integrated AI into the healthcare system is through remote patient monitoring systems. While nurses have used continuous patient monitoring systems for years, most remote monitoring has been limited to vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature.
Now, artificial intelligence can piece together much more information to give a better clinical picture of a patient’s condition. Because AI “learns” as it monitors a patient, it can track trends, look for patterns, and identify changes in a patient’s condition before they become a problem.
In addition, AI can put exact timestamps on notable events such as seizures, cardiac rhythm changes, and drops in blood pressure. Because AI does not need to take breaks, it can give immediate notifications to any patient changes. It can even be taught to differentiate emergencies from minor changes.
Compiling research
Another useful feature of AI in nursing is its ability to search for, sort through, and summarize research articles in just a few moments. When the care team is facing an issue where they have little experience, AI can be used to comb through articles. It can find studies that can help create a care plan or make decisions. Providers can create strict criteria for AI to search through. This ensures that only certain types of studies are included in a search.
Safety double-checks
AI can also be used to double-check medications, identify weaknesses in treatment plans, and confirm measurements and calculations. Double-checks on high-risk medications and time-outs before procedures remain an essential part of providing safe care. However, AI can provide an additional layer of safety, catching mistakes that humans may miss.
Education and practice
Most licensed nurses remember the days of practicing their skills on silent and unmoving mannequins. Giving an injection to a plastic arm or inserting a nasogastric tube into a rubber nose allows people to practice the mechanics of nursing, but doesn’t provide real-time feedback.
Artificial intelligence is completely changing the way that nurses learn and practice their skills. An AI mannequin can respond to a treatment or medication the way that a real patient would. This provides a much safer environment to practice high-risk procedures, titrating vasoactive medications, providing CPR, or even making and correcting errors in care.
Drawbacks of AI in nursing
While the benefits of AI are undeniable, it is important to be aware of the risks associated with its use. Human connection remains one of the most important aspects of healthcare, especially for nurses working at the bedside. Remote monitoring, medication robots, and research tools save time. They do not interact with patients the way that a human does.
The American Nurses Association makes it clear that patients have better outcomes when they have meaningful connections with their care teams. Patients who have strong relationships with their nurses have more trust in their care teams. They feel valued, participate in their own care, and have an improved understanding of their treatment plans.
False sense of security
Nurses are often referred to as the last line of defense against mistakes that may harm a patient. Double-checking orders, verifying correct medication doses, ensuring that the team participates in a time-out, and guarding patient health information are just some of the ways the nurses look out for the well-being of their patients.
As nurses rely more on artificial intelligence, it is easy to become complacent. Nurses may assume that the computer systems will catch mistakes. Care providers should shift their thinking and remember that AI tools should be used as an additional layer of safety. They are not a replacement for human decision-making.
A mixed approach to artificial intelligence
AI in nursing has the potential to improve the quality of care while decreasing costs to the patient. However, it is unlikely that AI and computer systems will ever completely replace nurses and other in-person care providers.
Nurses should take a trust-but-verify approach when using artificial intelligence tools. Care providers can use the technology that is available to them in combination with their own education, knowledge, and critical thinking skills. Rather than replacing the human component of nursing, AI can be thought of as an additional team member. It can offer its own set of skills and expertise, but that works as one part of the entire team.
