Nurses voice concerns over AI implementation and patient interactions
Over half of the nurses surveyed said they would not be comfortable with using AI in their profession.
As developments in AI begin to transform industries across health, education and business sectors, many workers are wondering if the future of technology comes at a cost.
A new study by Cross Country, a health care staffing workforce solutions company, found that most nurses are uncomfortable using AI and believe it poses a risk for a potential absence of empathy and diminished patient connection. Over half of the nurses surveyed said they would not be comfortable with using AI in their profession.
However, nurses continue to be plagued by an industry that faces severe understaffing and under compensation, leading to high stress levels in an already demanding field. AI presents many potential solutions, or at the very least, improvements to an already strained industry.
The 47% of nurses who said they would be comfortable, or somewhat comfortable with the implementation of AI, suggested technological advancements could improve efficiency, documentation, data/research, upskilling/simulation training and automated monitoring.
Although AI might have the potential to aid in data-driven tasks, 84% of employed nurses who were surveyed said these newer technologies would not help beyond documentation.
The primary concerns of nurses who were opposed to the implementation of AI noted it might pose risks for job replacement, data security, regulation of emerging technology, upskilling/learning new technology and could lead to a lack of empathy/patient connection.
The prospective implementation of AI in the health care industry will certainly require a balance between the establishment of meaningful advancements without giving way to the human essence that is so vital to the industry.
“In embracing the evolving landscape of health care technology, including the promising advancements of AI, we must steadfastly preserve the essence of nursing – the human touch and the nuanced art of human decision-making. While AI can augment our capabilities, we convey comfort, compassion and reassurance to our patients through the warmth of human connection embodied in touch and eye contact,” said Dr. Hank Drummond, chief clinical officer at Cross County.
Nurses who are currently in training might bring a new sense of optimism to the prospective implementation of AI advancements in health care. The study found that while two-thirds of nursing students admitted being unfamiliar with current AI applications in health care, more than 1 in 2 are optimistic about their potential positive impact.
According to the study, 40% of current nursing students surveyed said they “recognize the significance of integrating AI-related topics and training into the nursing education curriculum” and emphasized its importance for future practice. Despite this, only 1 in 5 students feels that their current nursing curriculum adequately addresses AI education and training for health care.
Similar to current nurses, nursing students recognize the potential dangers that the implementation of AI might have on the profession. The study found that over half of nursing students fear AI might affect the quality of patient interactions and the human dimension of nursing care.
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Regardless of whether or not AI sees successful implementation over the next decade, the nursing industry will need to bring about significant change in order to address the needs of current health care professionals.
According to the study, 96% of nurses completely or strongly agree that employers will need to increase pay rates/incentives to attract and retain nursing staff. Additionally, over 90% of nurses strongly agreed that health care facilities will need to increase their use of flexible scheduling for nurses as well as improve/increase their use of staff resources.
The study suggests that moving forward, the health care industry can help empower nurses to welcome AI by embracing transparency, increasing AI training, tailor communications to resonate with different audiences and listen to/incorporate employee feedback.