Is there a gap between artificial intelligence applications and priorities in health care and nursing management?

Abstract

Aim: The article aims to outline a contrast between three priorities for nursing management proposed a decade ago and key features of the following 10 years of developments on artificial intelligence for health care and nursing management. This analysis intends to contribute to update the international debate on bridging the essence of health care and nursing management priorities and the focus of artificial intelligence developers. Background: Artificial intelligence research promises innovative approaches to supporting nurses' clinical decision-making and to conduct tasks not related to patient interaction, including administrative activities and patient records. Yet, even though there has been an increase in international research and development of artificial intelligence applications for nursing care during the past 10 years, it is unclear to what extent the priorities of nursing management have been embedded in the devised artificial intelligence solutions. Evaluation: Starting from three priorities for nursing management identified in 2011 in a special issue of the Journal Nursing Management, we went on to identify recent evidence concerning 10 years of artificial intelligence applications developed to support health care management and nursing activities since then. Key Issue: The article discusses to what extent priorities in health care and nursing management may have to be revised while adopting artificial intelligence applications or, alternatively, to what extent the direction of artificial intelligence developments may need to be revised to contribute to long acknowledged priorities of nursing management. Conclusion: We have identified a conceptual gap between both sets of ideas and provide a discussion on the need to bridge that gap, while admitting that there may have been recent field developments still unreported in scientific literature. Implications for Nursing Management: Artificial intelligence developers and health care nursing managers need to be more engaged in coordinating the future development of artificial intelligence applications with a renewed set of nursing management priorities.