Greetings SPN Members!
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Nursing
Artificial intelligence (AI). It’s hard to go more than a day or two without hearing reference to it, either within the walls of our healthcare organizations or in the national news. AI technology is advancing so quickly that it’s challenging to keep on top of the latest advances – it seems like just yesterday that the world was introduced to ChatGPT, and already there’s an upgrade with faster processing that can detect emotional cues and respond to audio and visual input.
The healthcare industry in general, and nursing in particular, have historically had a difficult time keeping pace with technological advancements – regulatory requirements and the large, layered structure of most hospitals and healthcare organizations make it difficult to be nimble in our approach to testing, implementation, and continuous refinement of new technologies. To illustrate this point, you only need to think for a moment about the challenging electronic health record systems we chart in daily, or the antiquated infusion pumps we use until they’re no longer functional.
It's not surprising, then, that some nurses and other clinical colleagues have concerns about the integration of AI into the healthcare environment. The introduction of a technology that is so powerful and that has the potential for a true paradigm shift in many of the ways we currently deliver care warrants thoughtful consideration. How, for example, will we ensure that AI is used to support care delivery by minimizing time and effort spent on burdensome “paperwork” tasks and not infringe on the direct care activities that require sensitive human-to-human connection and sophisticated interpersonal communication? How will we ensure that nurses and our interprofessional colleagues are appropriately trained in each of the new AI-supported technologies so that their use is a support and not an additional burden in an already busy clinical environment?
The answer, of course, is one that holds true for nearly everything we try to do in the healthcare system – we need to ensure that nurses are at the table and leading the way! Discussions and decision-making about the deployment of AI in our hospitals and clinics should be made in partnership with nurses at all levels, from the Chief Nursing Officer to the frontline, clinical nurses caring for our patients and families. Clinical nurses know best where the pain points are and can help technology developers, innovation teams, and nurse informaticists know where and how to focus their energies in the creation and deployment of AI solutions that actually support or enhance the care delivery model. The rapid push for deployment of AI-based technology creates an opportunity for nurses to advocate for their needs as licensed and skilled professionals and for the needs of patients and families.
The good news is that AI holds a lot of promise for helping to address some of nurses’ most vexing problems! A recent article from the Children’s Hospital Association highlighted 9 ways that AI is being used in pediatric organizations across the country, and my own organization is seeing promising early results from the trial of an AI-generated clinical note program – the notes required minimal editing and saved providers an average of 1.5 hours per day. AI-powered support for nursing documentation is on the horizon and will be a game-changer for our profession.
I am incredibly excited about the opportunities that exist as AI technology matures and also mindful of the responsibilities, we have to ensure effective and appropriate use of the technology. SPN recognizes that this is an emerging and impactful topic for our members and will work to stay on top of the rapid changes in the field and the impact this is having on pediatric nurses around the country.
President
Jennifer Baird, PHD, MPH, MSW, RN, CPN