Penn Nursing Leaders Speak Out on AI’s Growing Role in Patient Care
Penn Nursing Leaders Speak Out on AI’s Growing Role in Patient Care
Publish Date: 2026-05-27 05:43:00
Source Domain: ldi.upenn.edu
Leading researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing — George Demiris, PhD, Antonia Villarruel, PhD, RN, and Connie Ulrich, PhD, RN — field tough questions about a new paper on artificial intelligence and nursing. All three are LDI Senior Fellows
In the wake of a new University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing paper exploring the potential promise and pitfalls of integrating artificial intelligence deeper into hospital nursing environments, three of its authors agreed to answer LDI’s questions about the mounting discussions and tensions surrounding the issue.
They are LDI Senior Fellows and Penn Nursing leaders George Demiris, PhD, Professor of Biobehavioral Health Sciences at Penn Nursing and Informatics at the Perelman School of Medicine; Antonia Villarruel, PhD, RN, Dean and Professor of Family and Community Health at Penn Nursing; and Connie Ulrich, PhD, RN, Professor of Biobehavioral Health Sciences at Penn Nursing and Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine.
Companion Article
Penn Nursing Report Cautions That AI Systems May Add Rather Than Reduce Costs and Workflow Burdens
LDI: For readers who don’t follow this field closely, what is the single most important way artificial intelligence is likely to change nursing in the next few years?
We expect that the biggest change will likely be the shift of nurses’ time away from administrative and information-management tasks and back toward direct patient care. AI has the potential to help nurses synthesize large amounts of clinical information more quickly, automate repetitive documentation or logistical work, and identify early warning signs of patient deterioration. If implemented thoughtfully, this could allow nurses to spend more time communicating with patients and families, coordinating care, and exercising clinical judgment rather than navigating fragmented systems and…
