The hallmark of good nursing care is the human connection; building relationships with your patients is central to all you do. But, with the pressures of handling multiple responsibilities and the demand for rapid responses to issues, such as injuries or other health concerns, it can be difficult to keep up. Artificial intelligence has been presented as a possible solution, and it’s one that can be used in most healthcare settings, from hospitals to schools.
It is true that today’s healthcare industry is rapidly changing thanks to the invention and advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), which has the potential to quickly analyze data and complete tasks faster. However, artificial intelligence isn’t a perfect solution: it comes with benefits and drawbacks as well as ethical considerations that have to be kept in mind. This is particularly true in schools, where the use of AI in classrooms, administrative, and healthcare settings could impact data security, equity, and student privacy.
AI Uses in Nursing and Schools
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence by machines. AI programs work by using machine learning and natural language processing, among other features, to learn, reason, understand language, make decisions, and have perception. With these features, AI can handle a range of tasks and services.
For that reason, AI has been adapted for the healthcare industry, and it may be used in nursing settings, such as schools. It is capable of analyzing large data sets and performing predictive analytics. It can also work as a virtual nursing assistant, support documentation processes, and help with decision-making processes when reviewing lab results or imaging.
Specifically in schools, artificial intelligence offers the opportunity to tailor training to specific people or purposes. It can support school nurses as they work on administrative tasks, like filling out forms or paperwork for students to take home to their parents or creating informational documents about a specific illness or school health policy. Additionally, AI can help with pattern detection, such as identifying when there is an uptick in the number of students developing illnesses like the cold or flu, so preventative methods can go into place.
The Benefits of AI for School Nurses
There are several significant benefits of integrating artificial intelligence into school nursing and the tasks associated with it. Some of them include:
- Being able to provide equitable access to care. This is possible in educational settings because algorithms are based on nationally standardized datasets, such as NASN’s Every Student Counts!—the Big Data of Child Health.
- Ensuring bias is minimized in school nursing and educational settings. This is possible through the same standardizations and oversights as with equitability in healthcare.
- Reducing cognitive load. With AI, analyzing large amounts of data is easier, which means the speed and accuracy of diagnoses increase.
- Using predictive analytics to improve healthcare. Schools can have customized schedules or procedures for when there is an uptick in sickness, or they can use AI to keep track of when students will need new vaccines or education on specific illnesses or diseases.
- Making documentation easier. From electronic health records to managing paperwork to be released to students or parents, AI can manage automations, interpret data, and ensure it’s available for quick retrieval.
- Putting the focus back on relationships and patient care. Since AI can handle many day-to-day tasks, such as recordkeeping, nurses have the time to spend with their patients, building connections that allow for better care.
AI Integration: The Risks in School Nursing
While artificial intelligence has many positives, it also has downsides that have to be considered before implementation. Using AI in nursing can lead to several risks. These may include (but aren’t limited to):
- Overreliance on technology. When AI tools are used, there is a chance that nursing students and professionals could overly rely on them, which can impact relationship building, communication, and critical thinking skills.
- Privacy and security concerns. Data, such as personal identifiable information, contact information, and health information, can be collected by AI.
- AI algorithm bias. Biases in data can lead to inequities in healthcare.
To address these issues, it’s necessary to place a heavier emphasis on good AI practices and ethics, some of which are discussed further below.
Keeping AI Ethical in School Nursing
Artificial intelligence raises some ethical concerns. There is a risk of uncontrolled datasets leaning toward bias that could negatively impact students, for example, depending on where the data comes from and if the studies or research had bias knowingly or unknowingly. Additionally, if AI is not based on nationally standardized datasets, then some students may not receive equal access to care when not all AI programs have the same information readily available for diagnostic or supportive processes.
The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) states that it is necessary for school nurses to become educated on artificial intelligence and its uses in schools to avoid these issues. Additionally, they should provide strong oversight when new algorithms are in development to ensure equitable access to care and limited bias in educational settings through the careful monitoring of nationally standardized datasets
Supporting the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence
To support the ethical use of artificial intelligence and ensure it is not used in a harmful way in schools, it’s important to keep AI:
- Human-centric. AI should be used to help improve health care, not take over for nurses completely. It needs to prioritize the autonomy, dignity, and well-being of those being cared for or using the algorithms for training or work.
- Controlled through ethical oversight
- As a support system for nurses. Artificial intelligence should be used to support nurses’ work and not as a tool to replace them.
- Collaborative. Nurses and AI should work together. Using AI can encourage better collaboration and learning, reduce bias in healthcare when using the correct data sets, and create a supportive environment that makes it easier for students to get appropriate care regardless of location.
Look to the Future with Supplemental Health Care
The future of school nursing is likely to have artificial intelligence playing at least some part in it. For nurses looking to prepare, getting to know AI products, services, regulations, and datasets can be a good step toward helping to improve healthcare while also supporting the elimination of bias in healthcare technology.
At Supplemental Health Care, we support school nurses; as these changes continue, we are here to inform and support our school professionals. And, if you’re looking for a new role in school nursing, search for your next job here.
search content