While some nurses recognize the potential of artificial intelligence to reduce documentation burdens and improve patient monitoring – and see a future with AI-powered nursing more broadly – Others are concerned about AI replacing human empathic assessment of patients, cutting into nursing jobs, risking compromise of protected patient data. 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 system of – and the hospital industry in general – have rushed to deploy unproven and unregulated artificial intelligence. to replace nurses and jeopardize patient safety.
Nurses want a voice in AI implementation
“It’s troubling to see Kaiser promote itself as a leader in AI in healthcare, when we know their use of these technologies comes at a cost,” said Michelle Gutierrez Vo, a nurse at the hospital. price equals patient care, all with the aim of boosting profits.” Kaiser’s San Francisco Hospital and CNA president, in a statement about the protest.
“Nurses are all about technology that enhances our skills and patient care experience, but what we are seeing in our hospitals is deterioration,” she said. and devaluing nursing practice through the use of these untested technologies.”
At the protest in San Francisco, some nurses held signs that read “Trust nurses, not AI,” according to local news KQED.
Gutierrez Vo also said CNA requires workers and unions to be involved “at every step of data-driven technology development and empowered to decide whether AI is deployed in the workplace and how”.
In National Nurses United’s FAQ on the impact of AI on nursing and health care, the organization said patient visual acuity measurements “lead to inappropriate nurse-to-patient ratios and unpredictable planning.”
Instead, patient visual acuity measurements, which may be based on incomplete charts, should be based on the RN’s overall assessment, said NNU, CNA’s parent organization. The group also said clinical predictions tend to be “overkill, if not erroneous,” adding that AI often misses risks of patient deterioration.
The organization said it does not support models of care that remove RNs from direct patient interactions, such as when remote patient monitoring sensors collect external data and issue recommendations. decided to care for “less skilled medical staff”.
Kaiser Permanente takes a different look at AI and its potential benefits for patient care.
An article posted to its website last month said the health system is highly focused on developing responsible AI in healthcare and appreciates the need for safeguards. primary defense to protect patient safety.
While the article’s author, Dr. Daniel Yang, vice president of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies at Kaiser Permanente, offers advice on policymaking considerations, Mr. does not provide insight into the relevance of employee feedback in “testing and validating the accuracy of AI tools” and continuously monitoring “results to ensure it is working as it should.” plan”.
But Yang explained, for example, a study of the Advance Alert Monitoring program used across 21 Kaiser hospitals across Northern California found that the program saved about 500 patients’ lives each year. The program uses predictive analytics and automatically analyzes hourly electronic health data of hospital patients.
If AI identifies a patient in the hospital as being at risk of severe deterioration, it will alert a “dedicated quality virtual nursing team” to determine the level of on-site intervention needed.
Healthcare IT news contacted 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 we hear back.
Solve the AI booking problem
Regardless of a healthcare organization’s goals, delivering AI at scale will require the participation of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals.
A new report on the future of nursing – released April 25 by Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and Cross Country Healthcare, a technology and workforce consulting firm, at the University of Florida Atlantic, found that most nurses are uncomfortable using AI and have deep concerns about its safety. and efficiency.
According to a survey of more than 1,100 nursing professionals and students, 38% questioned the potential benefits of AI for the nursing field.
The top five concerns nurses have about using AI in healthcare are lack of empathy and connection with patients, job displacement, data security, regulation of emerging technologies, and improve skills.
However, while two-thirds of nursing students said they were unfamiliar with current AI applications in healthcare, more than half said they were optimistic about its impact.
To encourage nurses to adopt and appreciate AI, healthcare organizations should prioritize transparency, training, communication and feedback, the researchers advise.
“Involving nurses in AI implementation is important for acceptance and adoption,” they said. “By soliciting and incorporating nurse feedback, healthcare organizations can tailor AI solutions to solve specific problems and enhance the nursing experience.”
Furthermore, prioritizing that feedback and emphasizing the positive impact of AI on nursing practice can go a long way in fostering the culture of innovation and collaboration that the AI-enabled future of nursing will have. request.
Toward that goal, three years ago Florida Atlantic University launched two new combined programs in nursing, artificial intelligence and biomedical engineering. According to FAU, the combined degree programs provide FAU nursing graduates with initial experience in AI – helping them understand how “algorithms, pattern matching, deep learning and cognitive computing to learn to understand complex data”.
“We are at the forefront of educating future nurses to seize the many opportunities that technology offers to improve outcomes,” said Safiya George, dean and professor at FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College. patient outcomes and streamline time-consuming daily administrative tasks.” Nursing, in a statement about the new report.
She added: “As AI rapidly advances in healthcare delivery, nothing can replace the human touch, empathy and compassion that is at the core of the nursing profession. nourishment”. “Ultimately, current and future nurses will find a synergistic balance between technology, innovation, patient trust and human connection.”
Andrea Fox is a senior editor at Healthcare IT News.
Email: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.
