[hen-ui-list variant=”unordered” bullet-style=”bullet”] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Artificial intelligence may offer solutions to the growing nurse staffing crisis in the US.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Clinicians have long struggled under the crushing administrative burden of documentation in healthcare. [/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]A new report suggests that AI may offload up to 30% of administrative tasks from nurses, freeing their time to focus on direct patient care.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item][/hen-ui-list][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help solve the nursing crisis by performing up to 30% of the administrative tasks that often fall to nurses, a new report concluded.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/health/solving-the-nursing-shortage” target=”_blank”]report from Accenture[/hen-ui-link], a technology services and consulting firm, found that AI can aid in scheduling, communicating, and even caring for patients.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Nurses Need Help[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Ask any nurse what they dislike about their current job; Paperwork is likely a common response.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Many healthcare careers include some administrative tasks. But, the documentation requirements for nurses are immense and can contribute to nurse burnout, according to [hen-ui-link href=”https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31438114/” target=”_blank”]a review[/hen-ui-link].[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The nursing shortage is a complex issue, rapidly becoming a public health emergency as nurses leave the profession in droves.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]According to a [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.ncsbn.org/research/recent-research/workforce.page” target=”_blank”]2022 National Nursing Workforce Study[/hen-ui-link], 20% of the U.S. nursing workforce indicated they will likely leave the profession by 2027.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]There are many causes of the nursing shortage, and fixing it will require a multi-pronged approach to increase the number of new nurses and retain the current ones — but technology can help.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]While in its infancy, AI may offer concrete solutions to the growing nursing crisis and be particularly helpful in reducing the nursing administration and documentation load.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The Accenture report offers an optimistic view of the potential for AI to reinvent the nursing process and bring relief to nurses in the U.S.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]It looked at survey data from 609 clinicians and 4,777 healthcare executives in the U.S. to determine how technology is currently being implemented in healthcare, assess areas for improvement, and identify the heaviest areas of technology burden.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”The nursing shortage is a global health emergency threatening patient access and outcomes,” the report stated. “The healthcare workforce has reached a breaking point. We must release the pressure on nurses, improve the nurse and patient experience, and get people the care they deserve.”[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]As nurses, most of us joined the field to heal and care directly for our patients. We had no idea we’d spend most of our time slogging in front of a computer documenting redundant and seemingly never-ending data.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]AI & Nursing: Delegation, Not Replacement[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurses only spend about 21% of their time on direct patient care due to clinical documentation and administrative tasks, according to a [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339604905_How_much_time_do_nurses_spend_using_electronic_devices_at_work” target=”_blank”]2020 report[/hen-ui-link].[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-card variant=”background-white” border=”stroke” padding=”lg”] [hen-ui-card-content] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]According to Accenture, AI can help relieve the pressure on nurses in three ways.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-list variant=”ordered” bullet-style=”number”] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Helping with direct patient care, such as assisting patients with their daily routine, providing medication reminders, and answering medical questions[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Assisting with laborious administrative tasks such as staffing and scheduling[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Improving existing technology workflow and integration to maximize clinician efficiency[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item][/hen-ui-list] [/hen-ui-card-content][/hen-ui-card][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurses’ role in healthcare is irreplaceable, as their clinical experience, expert judgment, and personal connection to the patient can’t be shortchanged.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]However, if nurses can delegate non-essential tasks to AI, they can spend more time in their zone of genius. Nurses know that direct patient care, emotional support, and education make the biggest difference in patient outcomes and experiences.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]AI can allow nurses to do more of what matters most to improve patient outcomes, reduce nursing burnout, and build a more robust, satisfied workforce.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]The Future of Nursing & AI[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]There has been significant anxiety in some industries as AI threatens to [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-jobs-at-risk-replacement-artificial-intelligence-ai-labor-trends-2023-02″ target=”_blank”]replace or eliminate many positions[/hen-ui-link] in customer service, journalism, and coding sectors.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]While those fears are valid, [hen-ui-link href=”https://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/fulltext/2019/09000/how_artificial_intelligence_is_changing_nursing.8.aspx” target=”_blank”]experts say[/hen-ui-link] those layoffs are unlikely to affect the nursing field.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]It is extremely difficult to replicate the work that nurses do. Most bedside nursing positions are labor intensive and demand equal measures of critical thinking, compassion, and clinical judgment.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]U.S. clinicians are also open to technological advances that make their jobs easier.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”Most clinicians (93%) agree that applying automation to remedy time-intensive documentation processes will be beneficial,” according to Accenture’s report.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The future of nursing includes nurses leveraging technology and using AI to streamline their workflow and increase the time spent performing direct patient care.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-accordion variant=”no-background”] [hen-ui-accordion-item title=”Sources”] [hen-ui-text-stack gap=”sm”] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Gesner E, et al. [hen-ui-link href=”https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31438114/” target=”_blank”]The Burden and Burnout in Documenting Patient Care: An Integrative Literature Review[/hen-ui-link]. NIH[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″][hen-ui-link href=”https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/health/solving-the-nursing-shortage” target=”_blank”]How talent and technology can help solve the nursing shortage[/hen-ui-link]. (2023). Accenture[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″][hen-ui-link href=”https://www.ncsbn.org/research/recent-research/workforce.page” target=”_blank”]National Nursing Workforce Study[/hen-ui-link]. (2022). NCSBN[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Sun C, et al. (2020). [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339604905_How_much_time_do_nurses_spend_using_electronic_devices_at_work” target=”_blank”]How much time do nurses spend using electronic devices at work?[/hen-ui-link] ResearchGate[/hen-ui-text] [/hen-ui-text-stack] [/hen-ui-accordion-item][/hen-ui-accordion]