Some nurses say artificial intelligence is a way for health systems to surveil their workforces.
Michigan Nurses Association President Jamie Brown, BSN, RN, spoke about the technology Oct. 24 at a field hearing in Okemos, Mich., hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
"Many of these technologies are marketed as tools to improve patient care, but in fact, they track the activities of healthcare workers like me and frequently violate our privacy and the privacy of our patients," Ms. Brown said, according to Oct. 25 coverage by National Nurses United. "Even worse, the data collected is then being used by algorithmic management systems to make unreasonable and inaccurate decisions about patient care and staffing. Those decisions seem driven by a desire to lower labor costs."
She noted that some union nurses have successfully bargained over the new technology, meaning their hospitals have to let the nurses know when they're rolling out AI. Nurses at 17 HCA Healthcare hospitals recently secured AI protections from the Nashville, Tenn.-based health system.
However, hospitals "don't always follow the rules and tell us though, which is why we need strong guidance to protect workers from surveillance," Ms. Brown said at the event.
The Michigan Health & Hospital Association, however, disagreed with the assessment that AI is a workplace monitoring tool.
"The primary goal of Michigan hospitals when it comes to the use of AI is to enhance patient outcomes through the responsible and effective use of AI technologies," an association spokesperson told Becker's. "The MHA and our hospitals are committed to developing practical, evidence-based guidelines that prioritize safety, equity and care quality. AI becomes a powerful tool when it augments, and not replaces, the human touch essential to patient care. Furthermore, by streamlining administrative tasks and reducing repetitive workloads, AI-assisted technologies can help reduce burnout among nurses and clinicians."