While some nurses recognize the potential of artificial intelligence to minimize documentation burden and improve patient monitoring – and see a future with broader AI-based nursing – others worry that AI will replace empathetic human assessment of patients, will eliminate nursing jobs and put protected patient data at risk. compromise and more.
In this spirit, the California Nurses Association organized a protest against Kaiser Permanente’s use of artificial intelligence on April 22 at the San Francisco Medical Center in Oakland, accusing the health care system – and the hospital industry in general – of rushing to implement untested and unregulated artificial intelligence to displace nurses and endangering patient safety.
Nurses want a say in AI implementations
“It is deeply troubling to see Kaiser promote itself as a leader in AI in healthcare, when we know their use of these technologies comes at the expense of patient care, all in the service of increasing profits,” says Michelle Gutierrez Vo, a nurse at Kaiser’s San Francisco Hospital and a CNA president, in a rack about the protest.
“Nurses are all for technology that improves our skills and the patient care experience, but what we are seeing in our hospitals is the degradation and devaluation of our nursing practice through the use of these untested technologies,” she said.
At the protest in San Francisco, some nurses held signs reading ‘Trust Nurses, Not AI’ Coverage from local news KQED.
Gutierrez Vo also said CNA is demanding that workers and unions be involved “in every step of the development of data-driven technologies and be given the power to decide whether and how AI is deployed in the workplace.”
In a National Nurses United FAQ On the impact of AI on nursing and healthcare, the organization said that patient acuity measurements “result in inappropriate nurse-to-patient ratios and unpredictable scheduling.”
Instead, patient acuity measurements, which may be based on incomplete charts, should be based on an RN’s holistic assessment, according to NNU, CNA’s parent organization. The group also said that clinical predictions tend to be “excessive, if not flawed,” adding that AI often overlooks the risks of patient deterioration.
The organization said it does not support care models that remove RNs from direct interactions with patients, such as when remote patient monitoring sensors collect data elsewhere and redirect care decisions to “less skilled medical providers.”
Kaiser Permanente has a different view on AI and its potential benefits for patient care.
An article posted on the website last month states that the healthcare system is very focused on developing responsible AI in healthcareand that it appreciates the need for important guardrails to protect patient safety.
Although the author of the article, Dr. As Daniel Yang, Kaiser Permanente’s vice president of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, advised on policymaking considerations, he did not provide insight into the involvement of employee feedback in “testing and validating the accuracy of AI tools.” and continued monitoring of “results to ensure it is working as intended.”
But Yang explained, for example, that a study of the Advance Alert Monitor program used at 21 Kaiser hospitals in Northern California found that it saved about 500 patient lives each year. The program uses predictive analytics and automates hourly analysis of hospital patients’ electronic health data.
If the AI identifies a hospital patient at risk of serious deterioration, it alerts a “virtual quality specialist nursing team” to determine how much on-site intervention is needed.
Healthcare IT news reached out to Kaiser last week, nationally and in California, to ask how nurses are involved in using AI in patient care. We will update this story if there is a response.
Tackling AI reservations
Regardless of a healthcare organization’s goals, delivering AI at scale will require the cooperation of physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals.
a new report on the future of nursing – released April 25 by Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and Cross Country Healthcare, a technology and workforce consulting firm – showed that most nurses are uncomfortable using AI and have major concerns about its safety and efficacy.
According to the survey of more than 1,100 nurses and students, 38% doubt the potential benefits of AI for nursing.
Nurses’ top five concerns about using AI in healthcare were a lack of empathy and connection with the patient, job replacement, data security, regulation of emerging technologies and upskilling.
Although two-thirds of nursing students say they are unfamiliar with current AI applications in healthcare, more than half say they are optimistic about their impact.
To encourage nurses’ adoption and appreciation of AI, healthcare organizations should prioritize transparency, training, communication and feedback, researchers recommended.
“Involving nurses in AI implementation is critical to acceptance and adoption,” they say. “By soliciting and integrating nurse feedback, healthcare organizations can tailor AI solutions to address specific pain points and improve the nursing experience.”
Furthermore, prioritizing that feedback and highlighting the positive impact of AI on nursing practice can go a long way toward fostering the culture of innovation and collaboration that a future of AI-enabled nursing will require.
To achieve that goal, Florida Atlantic University launched two new combined programs in nursing, artificial intelligence and biomedical engineering three years ago. The combined degree programs provide FAU bachelor of nursing graduates with early experience with AI – helping them understand how “algorithms, pattern matching, deep learning and cognitive computing can teach them how to understand complex data,” according to FAU.
“We are at the forefront of educating future nurses to embrace the many opportunities technology offers to improve patient outcomes and streamline time-consuming daily administrative tasks,” said Safiya George, dean and professor at Christine E. Lynn College of FAU. Nursing, in a statement about the new report.
“As AI rapidly develops in healthcare, nothing will replace the human touch, empathy and compassion that is at the heart of the nursing profession,” she added. “Ultimately, current and future nurses will find a synergistic balance between technology, innovation, patient trust and the human connection.”
Andrea Fox is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.