What nurse leaders need to consider when confronting AI

Nurse leaders hold diverse perspectives on artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. They recognize AI's transformative potential, including benefits like improved disease management, patient monitoring, and precision healthcare, but they also have concerns about data security, patient privacy, ethics, and the impact on nursing practice.

Nurse leaders should play an active role in the acquisition and development of clinical and administrative AI systems. They should collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure AI solutions align with nursing best practices, prioritize patient safety and data integrity, and provide clinical insights.

Challenges in implementing AI technology include data quality, ethical and legal considerations, and integrating AI tools into nursing workflows. Nurse leaders can overcome these challenges through education and training programs, open communication about AI's role in patient care, and collaboration between healthcare institutions, nurse leaders, and AI developers.

As the vice president of applications and digital health at Penn Medicine, Anna E. Schoenbaum has experience in implementing AI technology. She oversees the selection, negotiation, and management of AI solutions, developing support models, and budgeting for new technology. She also collaborates with a multidisciplinary team to ensure the value of AI technology to patients, clinicians, and operations teams.

In the next five years, AI is expected to have a more significant role in healthcare, with nurse leaders leading the transformation. AI will become integrated into clinical workflows, aiding nurses in tasks like data analysis and predictive care, improving patient outcomes and nursing practice efficiency. Nurse leaders will play a pivotal role in shaping AI-driven quality improvement initiatives and personalized care plans.