Abstract
Artificial Intelligence is a technology growing by leaps and bounds in various industries and fields, especially in health care. It is already proving to be a means of improving specific areas of health care. In the healthcare industry, companies are implementing AI at a record pace, undoubtedly helping facilitate the work and care of clients. For example, AI can be automated in patient care documentation and can even offer some possible medical diagnoses and suggest the acuity level of an ill person and possible nursing interventions. AI is indeed an excellent tool to assist healthcare providers in administering care, but it is also true that it presents some challenges.
Nurses pledge to take care of humans and apply all the knowledge and skills necessary to improve the health outcomes of the people we serve. We promise to assess human beings, tailor the care according to needs and background, and avoid algorithms that can interfere with clinical decision-making. We promise to establish policies that enhance the nursing profession and facilitate health care delivery. We are constantly searching for new ways of providing care through research development. But, as nurses, we need to question the application of this technology and how it assists us in caring for the people we care for.
AI offers great possibilities for improving human care, and it is up to us to apply this technology with wisdom and curiosity. We must remember that every person is unique, and making decisions that affect someone’s well-being requires considering their cultural background.
As AI is gaining momentum, institutions of higher education, educators, practitioners, healthcare administrators, and researchers need to seek new possibilities to apply AI in the workplace and elsewhere with a focus on improving the health outcomes of the people they serve and promoting nursing as a discipline and a profession. There is a great need to shift the nursing curriculum and provide continuing nursing education to embed AI in acquiring knowledge and skills so that we become agents of change. We have come far and have a long way to go before possibilities become realities.