Nurses ‘Cautiously Enthusiastic’ About AI in Healthcare

• AI in healthcare was the topic of a recent joint-survey conducted by McKinsey and the American Nurses Foundation. 
• Its findings suggest AI developers and healthcare administrators bring nurses to the table when adapting the technology for the industry and for oversight. 
• Several task forces and oversight partnerships exist to monitor and suggest improvements on the use of AI in healthcare. 

Nurses are “cautiously enthusiastic” about the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, according to the latest McKinsey report.

In a recent joint survey conducted with the American Nurses Foundation, McKinsey found that excitement about the technology is “tempered” with concerns for quality of care. 

Prior to the survey’s release, Nursing CE Central explored how hospitals are using generative AI to enhance workflows, the impact of AI on nursing education, and more, supporting several of the findings. 

However, the survey suggested that AI developers and healthcare administrators bring nurses to the table when adapting the technology for the industry and for oversight. 

What the Survey Says About AI in Healthcare

Of the nurses surveyed, 64% wanted to see more AI tools included in their workflow. Nurses in the 30-39 age group showed the most enthusiasm for the technology, though the level of enthusiasm was relatively consistent across ages. That said, there also was concern about the potential to compromise “medical attention and patient safety,” the report stated. 

“Possible ways to address this concern could be better demonstration of the quality of AI-supported interventions, thoughtful consideration about how AI tools can work in conjunction with human interaction, and strengthened education on AI for nurses and care team members,” the survey authors stated. 

Top concerns expressed included trust in accuracy (61%), lack of human interaction (49%), and lack of knowledge on how to use AI (36%). 

Nursing Education and AI in Healthcare

Students are exploring what the technology means for the healthcare and nursing industries. Kyle Kos, a senior at Western Michigan University’s College of Health and Human Services, focused on AI in nursing education for his thesis topic. 

Beyond that, universities and technical colleges nationwide have already begun to implement AI into their curriculum. Earlier this year, Florida State University launched an AI master’s program for its nursing students. 

And the University of North Carolina Greensboro’s School of Nursing uses AI for classroom instruction, revising curriculum, and generating rubrics, according to a news release. 

“The use of AI was mind-blowing to me at first,” nursing student Richelle Hensen said in the release. “However, I quickly became aware of AI’s value in creating assignments, test questions, or outlines for studying. AI thinks creatively and can illuminate new avenues in nursing studies. I do fear it could be used too much.”  

Some of the nursing school’s faculty also are members of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioners Faculties AI special interest group, and its dean, Debra Barskdale, is a liaison for the American Academy of Nursing’s AI Task Force. 

Oversight Partnerships and Policy Considerations

Oversight partnerships also are being established between nursing organizations and technology groups. Last month, Hippocratic AI and the Nurses on Boards Coalition joined forces “to expand nurses’ influence in the healthcare technology space,” a news release stated. 

“Together, we are championing a future where technology and nursing work hand-in-hand. By empowering nurses to sit at the decision-making table, we ensure that healthcare innovation is driven by those who know patient care best,” Dr. Amy McCarthy, DNP, RN, Chief Nursing Officer of Hippocratic AI, said in the release. “This collaboration not only elevates the voice of nursing in shaping AI solutions but also strengthens the ethical and human-centered principles at the heart of our mission to improve patient outcomes and transform healthcare delivery.”

Ethical and policy considerations were a focus of a recently released report from the Bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Task Force. The nearly 300-page document, published in December, detailed policy proposals and recommendations for AI innovation. The healthcare section acknowledged the technology’s potential to “improve multiple aspects of healthcare research, diagnosis, and care delivery,” while underscoring the potential for bias. 

Challenges cited in the report include: 

• Data availability and quality;
• Incomplete or inaccurate responses;
• Non-individualized recommendations;
• Decision transparency; 
• Data privacy and cybersecurity;
• Interoperability between existing systems and AI;
• Liability for errors made or enabled by AI models;
• Biased decision-making; and
• Deployment of AI models in a way that promotes financial gain over patient care and safety. 

The task force ultimately made the following recommendations related to AI in healthcare: 

• Encourage the practices needed to ensure AI in healthcare is safe, transparent, and effective. 
• Maintain robust support for healthcare research related to AI. 
• Create incentives and guidance to encourage risk management of AI technologies in healthcare across various deployment conditions to support AI adoption and improve privacy, enhance security, and prevent disparate health outcomes. 
• Support the development of standards for liability related to AI issues. 
• Support appropriate payment mechanisms without stifling innovation. 

The Bottom Line

While nurses, nurse educators, and policymakers see positive uses for artificial intelligence in nursing (and healthcare as a whole), they are aware of its flaws and working to combat them.  

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