Navigating the integration of artificial intelligence in Nursing: Opportunities, challenges, and strategic actions

Abstract

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years has brought about transformative changes across various sectors, including healthcare. In nursing practice, education, and research, AI has the potential to revolutionize traditional methodologies, enhance learning experiences, and improve patient outcomes. Integrating AI tools and techniques can provide clinicians with smarter clinical solutions and nursing students with more robust and interactive learning environments, while also advancing research capabilities in the field. Despite the promising prospects, the incorporation of AI into nursing practice, education, and research presents several challenges. Firstly, there is a concern about the potential displacement of human roles in nursing due to automation, which may affect the human-centric nature of nursing care. Secondly, there are issues related to the lag in AI competency among nurses. Many current nursing curricula do not include comprehensive AI training, leading to a lack of preparedness in utilizing these technologies effectively. Lastly, the ethical implications of AI in healthcare, such as data privacy, patient consent, and the potential for biased algorithms, need to be meticulously addressed. To harness the full potential of AI in nursing practice, education, and research, several strategic actions including reinvesting in humanistic practice, revising core competencies and curriculum, and developing new ethical guidelines.