Ambient AI in Nursing Workflows: From Model Development to Workflow Implementation (original) (raw)

2024, Ambient AI in Nursing Workflows: From Model Development to Workflow Implementation

Introduction: Nursing is increasingly burdened by excessive but necessary administrative tasks, reducing time available for direct patient care. This white paper explores the potential of ambient AI to alleviate these burdens through technology designed to integrate seamlessly into nursing workflows. Ambient AI in Healthcare: Ambient AI refers to background technology that helps streamline healthcare processes, such as documentation, without disrupting clinical workflows. Developing a nursing-specific ambient AI involves choosing either an off-the-shelf or proprietary AI model, adding agent capabilities, fine-tuning it using relevant data, and validating its performance through internal testing, prospective validation, and compliance with regulatory standards. EHR Infrastructure and Interoperability: Integrating ambient AI requires compatibility with electronic health record (EHR) systems. Enhanced interoperability between EHRs using technologies like FHIR APIs allows smoother data exchange, enabling AI to provide insights directly within clinical workflows. AI Procurement Process: Implementing AI solutions in healthcare involves a structured procurement process, including budget cycle considerations, a bidding process, compliance checks, pilot programs, and contract negotiations to ensure that AI solutions meet clinical, regulatory, and operational needs. Workflow Implementation: Successful implementation of AI technology in nursing requires prospective validation, careful integration into existing workflows, ongoing monitoring, and continuous updates. This process ensures that the solution is adopted effectively, supports clinical needs, and evolves over time. Future of Nursing Ambient AI: The future of ambient AI in nursing is promising, focusing on reducing the documentation burden, improving clinical workflows, and advancing patient-centered care. However, only the most effective and well-implemented solutions will be able to meet the evolving challenges of healthcare delivery.