RN, PhD, FACHE, MD, MPA, FAHA
The statement that “Nurses are the backbone of healthcare worldwide”, was evident during and holds true after the recent pandemic. Nurses play a crucial role in the healthcare system as nurses provide care for patients, their families, fellow healthcare professionals, and communities, often at the cost of their own well-being and health.
The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
With concerns about the health and well-being of nurses and the increasing shortage of nurses, what impact could artificial intelligence have on the health and well-being of nurses?
The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has potential benefits, including making a positive impact on the quintuple aim of healthcare by enhancing the patient care experience, improving population health, advancing health equity, reducing healthcare costs, and improving the satisfaction and well-being of the healthcare team, while improving overall productivity.
As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent and complex, it is important to consider the effects that AI may have on the health and well-being of nurses. While AI can help reduce some of the physical demands of nursing and streamline workflow, it can also create new challenges.
Some approaches to addressing the health and well-being of nurses in an era of artificial intelligence include the following:
One of the most important ways to address the health and well-being of nurses is to emphasize the importance of self-care. This includes not only physical self-care, such as eating well, getting enough sleep and exercise, and receiving affordable healthcare when in need but also includes mental and emotional self-care.
Employers should leverage AI tools that recognize when nurses need to be encouraged to take paid breaks and when to seek out employer-supported resources for coping with stress and burnout.
Artificial intelligence can play a role in this by helping to identify when a nurse may be feeling overwhelmed and suggesting resources for self-care while employers fund and facilitate self-care measures for nurses.
Offering training and support for nurses in the use of AI systems is essential to ensure their success and well-being in an era of AI. Artificial intelligence can provide training and feedback to nurses on their use of AI tools, helping them to integrate these tools into their workflow more effectively and efficiently.
Some examples of these could include providing training on the use of specific AI systems, as well as ongoing support and feedback to help nurses integrate these systems into their daily workflow.
Nursing is considered the most trusted profession because nurses have been shown to have high levels of honesty and ethical standards. Empowering nurses to think creatively about how AI can be used to improve patient care and promote their own health and well-being can help foster a culture of innovation by providing opportunities for nurses to share their ideas and collaborate on projects leveraging AI.
By embracing ethical AI innovations, nurses can continue to shape the future of healthcare and ensure that AI is being used in an ethical manner that benefits both the patient and the nurse at the same time.
Artificial intelligence can be used to enhance workplace safety by identifying potential hazards and suggesting ways to mitigate them.
For example, AI can be used to monitor the physical strain on nurses and suggest ways to reduce that strain, such as adjusting the height of a patient’s bed. Artificial intelligence can also be used to assign safe staffing ratios and to identify potential safety risks, such as a patient at risk for falling and suggest interventions to prevent falls.
Artificial intelligence can monitor the workload of nurses and identify when they may be at risk of burnout or stress and can then suggest resources for self-care or alert a supervisor to intervene. Additionally, by automating certain tasks such as data entry, AI can reduce the administrative burden on nurses, freeing up more time for patient care and thus streamlining workflow for nurses.
Artificial intelligence can support clinical decision-making by analyzing patient data and providing insights that can help nurses make informed decisions about patient care, reducing the risk of errors and improving outcomes.
Artificial intelligence can be a valuable tool for nurses, but it is important to remember that it is not a replacement for human interaction. Encouraging collaboration between nurses and AI can help ensure that both are being utilized to their fullest potential.
For example, AI can be used to identify patterns in patient data, while nurses can use their clinical expertise to interpret that data and make informed decisions about patient care empowering nurses to practice at the top of their license and using their “therapeutic touch” to alleviate human suffering.
As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, it is important for nurses to stay current with the latest evidence-based best practices. Creating opportunities for continuing education can help nurses learn about new technologies and how these technologies can be integrated into nursing practice.
Additionally, continuing education can help nurses stay current with best practices for promoting their own health and well-being. Allowing the nurse to be fully involved in each decision empowers the nurse and creates a sense of fulfillment, leadership, and autonomy which can lead to positive outcomes for both the patient and the nurse.
In conclusion, the increasing use of AI in healthcare has the potential to improve the quintuple aim of healthcare. At the same time, it is important, however, to consider the impact it may have on the health and well-being of nurses.
By emphasizing the importance of self-care, encouraging collaboration between nurses and AI, creating opportunities for continuing education, fostering a culture of innovation, and using AI to enhance workplace safety, nurses are at the forefront of navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in healthcare.
Nurse-driven creative approaches ensure that nurses are shaping the use of transformative technologies which have the potential to benefit both patients and nurses alike.
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