Nurses nationwide are raising concerns over the rapid adoption of AI and virtual nursing in healthcare, arguing that these technologies could compromise patient safety.
In 2024, nurse-led protests spotlighted these concerns. In April, the California Nurses Association staged a demonstration at Kaiser Permanente's San Francisco Medical Center, advocating for nurses and union members to be involved in "every step" of the decision-making process around AI and other data-driven technologies in healthcare.
A Kaiser Permanente spokesperson told Becker's that their technologies are designed to empower nurses, enabling them to work more effectively and improve patient outcomes and nurse satisfaction.
Meanwhile in October, nurses at 17 hospitals within Nashville-based HCA Healthcare ratified contracts that included safeguards around artificial intelligence.
"New contract language will ensure nurses have a say in the implementation of new technology like artificial intelligence to ensure it enhances, not diminishes, patient care," National Nurses United said in a statement.
An HCA spokesperson told Becker’s that the organization collaborates closely with clinicians to develop technology that improves workflows, reduces administrative burden, and allows caregivers to focus on patient care.
"We want clinicians focused on what they do best — taking care of patients," the spokesperson said.
In November, nurses at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage raised concerns over a new virtual nursing program. Launched in October, the program assigns virtual nurses to support tasks such as discharge planning, medication management, and patient education, aiming to address the registered nurse shortage. While Providence emphasized that this team-based model alleviates workloads and increases the overall care team-to-patient ratio, a group of nurses argued it would instead stretch bedside staff further, raising patient-to-nurse ratios and potentially compromising safety.
A Providence spokesperson said the organization remains committed to innovative approaches to ensure the best, safest care amid the nursing shortage.
"Providence Alaska Medical Center has offered the opportunity to negotiate the impacts of this change. The parties have already met twice to discuss this topic specifically, and Providence anticipates further meetings," the spokesperson said. "In fact, Providence implemented some of the union members' suggestions from these meetings. We are disappointed that the association has chosen this path instead of continuing negotiations."
A report from McKinsey & Co. found that nearly a quarter of 7,200 surveyed nurses expressed discomfort with the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.