AI in Nursing
AI in nursing is already part of ward work. This page tracks where artificial intelligence is being used, what the outcome studies show, and why each of those gains still depends on a nurse.
How AI is used in nursing today
Five kinds of AI tool account for nearly all the nursing deployments on the record. For each: what it does, the evidence so far, and the part that stays with the nurse.
Documentation
What it doesAmbient scribes listen to a consultation or handover and draft the clinical note.
Evidence20.6 minutes recovered per 12-hour shift once ambient capture passes 60%, across 29,467 encounters at four hospitals (Nurse Leader, Aug 2026).
Stays with the nurseChecking, amending and signing the note. In Finland’s Länsi-Uusimaa rollout, every draft goes to the clinician to confirm.
Early warning and deterioration
What it doesReads vital signs and charting patterns to flag patients who may be getting worse.
EvidenceThe CONCERN system cut the risk of in-hospital death by 35.6% across 60,893 encounters (Nature Medicine, 2025). Unity Health Toronto is trialling delirium prediction in 13 hospitals.
Stays with the nurseCONCERN learns from how often nurses check on a patient. The model runs on nursing surveillance; the response to the alert is a nurse’s.
Triage and virtual rounds
What it doesRanks cases by urgency and brings remote specialists into ward rounds.
EvidenceChil Group’s e-ward rounds cover nearly 400 rural facilities in Uganda. In Singapore, NUHS runs virtual nursing at Alexandra Hospital and AI fall-risk prediction at NUH (NUHS, Jul 2025).
Stays with the nurseActing on the ranking. TREWS sepsis alerts lowered deaths only when a clinician confirmed the alert within three hours.
Diagnosis at the point of care
What it doesPuts screening tools in nurses’ hands where doctors are scarce.
EvidenceIn Cabo Verde, AI ophthalmology tools let nurses identify cataracts, glaucoma and retinopathy, work previously done by doctors.
Stays with the nurseThe whole encounter. Here AI widens the nursing role instead of shrinking it.
Patient messaging
What it doesAnswers routine questions by SMS or WhatsApp and routes urgent ones to a clinic.
EvidenceGhana’s “Nurse Mary” platform serves more than 7,000 mothers at Greater Accra Regional Hospital. Uganda’s Ministry of Health runs “Nurse Lina” for family planning.
Stays with the nurseThe urgent cases. Both chatbots are named after nurses, and both hand the difficult questions to a real one.
Benefits of AI in nursing: what the evidence shows
Outcome studies of AI in nursing practice, including one clear failure. The pattern holds across all five: results depend on how nurses use the tool.
Where a 12-hour nursing shift goes: documentation vs. time returned by ambient AI
| Study | What it found | What the result depended on | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| CONCERN early-warning systemNature Medicine · 2 Apr 2025 | 60,893 encounters. 35.6% lower risk of in-hospital death, 11.2% shorter length of stay, 7.5% lower risk of sepsis. | The model is built on nursing assessment patterns: how often, and when, nurses check a patient. | Improved |
| TREWS sepsis alertsNature Medicine · 21 Jul 2022 | 590,736 patients monitored. 18.7% relative reduction in sepsis mortality. | Only when a clinician confirmed the alert within three hours. | Improved |
| Ambient documentationNurse Leader · Aug 2026 | 29,467 encounters, four hospitals. 20.6 minutes back per 12-hour shift, up to 36.3 minutes with best practice. | At least 60% ambient capture, and nurses reviewing each draft. | Improved |
| Epic Sepsis ModelJAMA Internal Medicine · 22 Jun 2021 | Missed about two-thirds of sepsis patients while alerting on 18% of all inpatients. | A proprietary score deployed without enough clinical validation; alerts turned into noise. | Failed |
| National Nurses United surveyNNU · fieldwork Jan–Mar 2024 | 2,300+ RNs. 69% said AI acuity scores did not match their clinical judgement; 40% could not adjust them. | Whether nurses can override the tool. | Warning |
Will AI replace nurses? Why nurses are still required
No. AI is taking over parts of nursing work, mainly documentation and monitoring. The job itself is growing: the world is short 5.8 million nurses, US demand for registered nurses grows 6% to 2035, and every AI tool that improved patient outcomes relied on nurses acting on it.
Demand is rising in every market this page tracks, and the professional bodies that set nursing standards all place accountability with the nurse.
Global nurse shortage in 2023, projected to be 4.1 million by 2030. WHO, State of the World’s Nursing 2025
RN jobs added 2025–35 (+6%), with about 180,800 openings a year. US Bureau of Labor Statistics
New nurses onboarded in 2023, about 30% above the 2018–22 average. Ministry of Health, May 2023
Nurse shortage, projected to reach 250,000 by 2030 as new nurses go abroad. The Star, Jan 2025, citing WHO
American Nurses Association. AI does not replace a nurse’s judgement or assessment, and nurses stay accountable for care even when the technology fails. Position statement, 2022; republished May 2025
American Academy of Nursing. AI should support nursing clinical judgement, not take its place. Position statement, Mar 2026
International Council of Nurses. Nurses should be involved in planning, designing, testing and implementing digital health tools. Position statement, Sep 2023
From the record: AI in nursing deployments
Entries from the State of Applied AI record tied to nursing work, including nurses, midwives, community health workers and the ward and emergency teams nurses work in. Most recent first.
Showing 10 of 10 entries
UTAS students launch SafeSiso AI chatbot for adolescent reproductive health
SafeSiso gives confidential reproductive-health guidance to young people aged 10 to 19 over WhatsApp. It now runs across Upper East Region schools, with a referral link to health professionals.
CVAMS lets Cabo Verdean nurses diagnose cataracts and glaucoma with AI
AI diagnosis in ophthalmology, run through CVAMS’s six-year Continuidade project, lets nurses rather than doctors identify cataracts, glaucoma and retinopathy. Cloud-linked machines generate the automatic diagnoses.
Chil Group launches AI-powered triage in digital ward rounds across rural Uganda
The E-Ward Round Platform brings AI triage to nearly 400 rural facilities. Remote clinicians consult city-based specialists through shared virtual rounds while software scans vital signs to spot and rank urgent cases.
Queensland health service rolls out ambient AI scribe to clinicians
Metro South Health began deploying Heidi’s ambient AI scribe in June 2026. In a 2025 trial, 92% of participating clinicians spent less time on administration.
Länsi-Uusimaa starts an AI scribe across its health and social care
A Tandem Health AI scribe reaches around 7,000 social and health care staff, phased in from September 2026 to the end of 2027. It drafts a note from each patient meeting for the clinician to check, amend and confirm.
Health New Zealand rolls out AI scribe Heidi to 1,000 ED clinicians
Heidi turns consultations into clinical notes for about 1,000 emergency-department clinicians nationwide, after trials including Hawke’s Bay Hospital.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health launches Nurse Lina AI chatbot for family planning
Nurse Lina answers questions on contraceptive choices, side effects and nearest service points over WhatsApp, drawing on ministry guidelines.
Kingston and Richmond NHS trust rolls out AI consultation transcription
Lyrebird Health’s ambient voice technology turns clinical conversations into notes, starting in the emergency department and gastroenterology and gynaecology outpatients.
Unity Health Toronto trials AI to predict delirium across 13 hospitals
A randomised trial with the GEMINI research network, funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Health, uses AI to predict and prevent delirium. It runs to March 2027 with about 15,000 patients and 2,000 frontline staff.
GHS and Jacaranda Health launch AI maternal health platform Nurse Mary
PROMPTS, nicknamed Nurse Mary, serves more than 7,000 mothers at Greater Accra Regional Hospital. Pregnant women and new mothers send questions by SMS; they are sorted by urgency and answered or forwarded to a clinic.
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AI for nurses and nursing students: 5 skills to learn
AI for nurses comes down to five skills. Each one follows from the evidence above.
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Review every AI-drafted note before you sign it
Scribes save time only if the note is right, and the signature is yours. The ANA is clear that accountability stays with the nurse.
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Read the alert, then assess the patient
TREWS reduced deaths only when a clinician confirmed the alert within three hours. An alert is a prompt to assess, not a diagnosis.
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Know when and how to override
In the NNU survey, 40% of nurses could not adjust AI acuity scores. Find out whether your tools allow overrides, and report it when they do not.
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Keep identifiable patient data out of public AI tools
Use only the tools your organisation has approved for clinical information, and follow its data rules.
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Ask for a seat where AI decisions are made
The ICN says nurses should help plan, design, test and implement digital health tools. That starts with nurse representation on AI and informatics committees.
AI in nursing: frequently asked questions
Will AI replace nurse practitioners?
Nothing on this record points that way. The tools that touch nurse practitioner work, such as ambient scribes and prescribing decision support, draft notes or flag risks. The nurse practitioner still assesses, diagnoses, prescribes and signs off, and stays accountable for each of those steps.
How can AI help nurses?
Mostly in five areas: ambient scribes that draft notes, early-warning scores that flag deterioration, triage and virtual ward rounds, diagnostic tools that let nurses screen patients, and chatbots that answer routine patient questions and route urgent ones.
What are the benefits of AI in nursing?
The measured ones so far: about 20 minutes of documentation time returned per 12-hour shift, and lower mortality where early-warning systems were paired with prompt nurse or clinician response (35.6% lower risk of death in the CONCERN trial).
How is AI used in nursing education?
Nursing schools are adding AI literacy, simulation and guidance on responsible use to their curricula. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing keeps a resource hub on AI in nursing education.
Is nursing a safe career choice with AI?
On current data, yes. Projected job growth, global shortages and professional standards that keep accountability with the nurse all point the same way. The role is changing: nurses who can supervise AI tools will be in a stronger position.
Cite this page
For assignments, library guides and reports. Check the date against the last update above.
Straits Institute for Applied AI. (2026, September 29). AI in nursing: What's advancing and why nurses stay essential. The State of Applied AI. https://www.straitsai.institute/state-of-applied-ai/healthcare-life-sciences/ai-in-nursingStraits Institute for Applied AI. "AI in Nursing: What's Advancing and Why Nurses Stay Essential." The State of Applied AI, 29 Sept. 2026, www.straitsai.institute/state-of-applied-ai/healthcare-life-sciences/ai-in-nursing.Record entries come from the State of Applied AI record, filtered to roles in nursing work: nurse, midwife, community health worker, and ward and emergency clinical teams. Outcome studies are peer-reviewed or published by the organisation that ran them. Workforce figures come from national statistics offices, health ministries and the WHO, or from press coverage citing them where marked.
- Rossetti SC et al. CONCERN early-warning system trial. Nature Medicine, 2025.
- Adams R et al. Prospective evaluation of TREWS. Nature Medicine, 2022.
- Weirich B, Martin L, Corbin A. Minutes That Matter: Quantifying Ambient Documentation Return on Investment in Inpatient Nursing. Nurse Leader 24(4), 2026.
- Wong A et al. External validation of a widely implemented proprietary sepsis prediction model. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2021.
- National Nurses United. Survey on AI and patient safety, 2024.
- World Health Organization. State of the World’s Nursing 2025.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses.
- Ministry of Health Singapore. Steps taken to slow down attrition and raise recruitment of nurses, 2023.
- National University Health System. NUHS nurses take on higher roles with smart tools, 2025.