For nurse Judy Schmidt, the beeping monitors connected to critically ill patients at Community Medical Center in Toms River, New Jersey, were a normal part of the flurry of activity in the intensive care unit.
But Schmidt said when he looked back at his work about a decade ago, he realized those machines were using early versions of artificial intelligence to help analyze and track patients’ health conditions. .
Schmidt, CEO of the New Jersey Nurses Association, a professional organization, said artificial intelligence has been used in medical settings for years, even before the general public was familiar with it.
Some electronic medical records are now programmed to alert health care providers when a patient may be exhibiting symptoms of serious illness. And in medical education, professors are relying more on simulations, including mannequins programmed to mimic childbirth.
However, with the rapid development of these systems, robotics Schmidt said that while it is being used in surgeries, it raises practical and ethical questions for medical professionals working with the technology.
Some experts say AI technology could improve the healthcare industry by automating administrative tasks and providing virtual nursing assistance. AI systems can predict whether a patient’s illness is likely to worsen during hospitalization.virtual assistant chatbot telemedicine This is a service that allows consultation from a remote location.And more healthcare providers may start using it. robotics In the examination room.
However, some nurses are concerned about the lack of legislation regarding the use of AI in hospitals and hospitals. beyond This means there is a lack of protection for individuals who may be harmed by technology mistakes.
“Long term, whatever artificial intelligence we use, we need to take that data and at some point interpret that data and apply it to the actual human being in the bed. It’s still a human being. It’s a nursing home or that person’s home,” Schmidt said.
Richard Ridge, assistant professor of nursing at the University of Virginia, said state legislatures have been slow to enact regulations regarding the use of AI. As technology becomes more sophisticated, most healthcare professionals rely on policies set by their hospitals and clinics, which may vary.
Ridge said lawmakers need to not only educate about AI, but also consider protecting patients within systems that use the technology, adding that nurses should be included in those conversations.
“The value that nurses bring to any health care discussion is that they help policy makers and decision makers see things from the patient’s perspective and from the patient’s perspective,” Ridge said.
“I don’t want to read anything. [policy] It’s about AI in health care, and I can’t say anything about nurses,” added Ridge, who is also chair of the committee on workforce issues for the Virginia Nurses Association, a professional association.
Lawmakers in several states have introduced bills related to artificial intelligence in health care, but a Stateline investigation found that only Georgia’s bill has passed. law Allows the use of artificial intelligence devices in eye exams.
One pennsylvania bill A bill being considered in a House committee would require insurance companies to disclose whether they use AI-based algorithms when reviewing claims to determine whether medical treatment is necessary. is.
The bill’s sponsor, Pennsylvania Representative Arvind Venkat, a Democrat and physician, said advances in artificial intelligence would help determine whether a treatment or medication is not covered by a patient’s insurance. Artificial intelligence will be available, he said.
“One of the issues we’ve seen with AI is that data goes into the AI platform, decisions are made, and it comes out, but those decisions are not comparable to the data used to train the platform. It’s only worth ,” Venkat said. “Existing biases are being reinforced by the use of artificial intelligence, especially in the area of health insurance.”
Ann illinois bill Sets the maximum number of patients that can be assigned to a registered nurse in a given situation. In healthcare facilities that use AI, nurses can override the technology’s recommendations if they determine it is in the patient’s best interest.
In the long term, whatever artificial intelligence we use is going to take that data and at some point interpret that data and apply it to the actual human being in the bed, the caregiver. What is needed is, after all, human beings. House That person’s house.
– Judy Schmidt, New Jersey Nursing Association CEO
The American Nursing Association Code of Ethics is followed by all nurses in the country. state Advanced technology, including AI, cannot replace nursing skills and judgment.
in position statementThe organization said that nurses have a “responsibility to ensure that patients are informed about AI and ensure its appropriate use.” He also said it is essential that nurses participate in efforts to advocate for an AI governance framework that holds technology developers accountable.
Dan Weberg, vice president of the American Nurses Association of California and an expert on the relationship between technology and nursing, said the rapid advances in AI are making the problem more complex.
“We have been using algorithms and machine-generated insights for years,” Weberg said. It’s more sophisticated, with more tools and more. ”
In the absence of federal regulations, state and local policymakers could model He said he hopes they will start formulating policies. After the European Union.
The world’s first EU AI law law Managing artificial intelligence has the potential to become a global standard for AI governance. It attempts to define artificial intelligence and will set rules to regulate the technology across the EU, including prohibited AI practices.
While it is recognized that this technology has significant benefits, this law Establish Rules for public and private entities, including the health sector, to use risk assessments, testing, etc. to ensure that AI systems are working properly and that users’ rights are protected.
EU artificial intelligence responsibilities Commandis proposed in September 2022 and would reduce the burden of proof for victims to show harm caused by AI systems.
Khan said this is a deeply worrying moment for those involved in technology policy. New AI systems are being introduced across industries, including healthcare, but there are no laws in place to protect individuals if something goes wrong, he said.
That doesn’t mean AI systems should be abolished, but it would be a mistake to ignore the dangers of these systems, Khan said. He added that policymakers need to consider the impact of AI from all perspectives, including the datasets used to train artificial intelligence, which can retain implicit bias and lead to discrimination.
One of the challenges with advances in AI is maintaining trust between healthcare providers and patients. Jennifer Shepherd, vice president of the Virginia Nursing Association, said many patients are concerned that they are dealing with a robot rather than their doctor. Providers need to work with AI systems from a human-centric perspective, he added.
“One of the things we’ve been thinking about, and we’re focusing a lot on, is that rather than just calling it ‘AI in healthcare’ or ‘evidence-based AI,’ What if we started using the term ‘human-centered’?’ said Shepard. “If you focus on that, it’s not so scary.”
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