The Impact of Digital Technologies, Data Analytics and AI on Nursing Informatics: The New Skills and Knowledge Nurses Need for the 21st Century

Nursing and Informatics for the 21st Century – Embracing a Digital World, 3rd Edition
Book 4:  Nursing in an Integrated Digital World that Supports People, Systems, and the Planet

2022 Productivity Press: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003281047

Chapter 9

Authors:  Charlene H. Chu, Aaron Conway, Lindsay Jibb, Charlene E. Ronquillo

We first outline how digital technologies, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) impact the rapid advancement of nursing informatics and on nursing care delivery. The individual-, contextual- and structural-level complexities that these new technologies introduce for nurses and the new knowledge and skill sets that they demand are highlighted. Then we encourage readers to think critically about their current practices and describe reconceptualized aspects of nursing practice as advocate, explainer, implementer, creator and analyst. We feature a case study of machine learning for prediction in the clinical practice setting to illustrate the analyst role. The new digital technologies hold promise to support nurses in providing safe and effective care at multiple levels. The nursing profession can be at the forefront for the design and adoption of these technologies as well as ensuring that there is careful consideration of the ethical and social implications of implementing digital technologies into practice.