Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a key factor in the transformation of patient care in the constantly changing Australian healthcare system. Divitha, an experienced nursing and healthcare education expert, offers her views on how AI shapes the field and prepares future nurses to work in a healthcare setting driven by technology.
Boosting Productivity and Enhancing Patient Care with AI
AI has an influence on simplifying some of the most time-consuming jobs in nursing, letting healthcare workers spend more time on hands-on patient care. “For a long time, nurses haven’t been happy with all the paperwork and non-nursing tasks they have to do. AI can help by giving us smarter, quicker ways to record the care we give so we don’t have to rely so much on writing everything down by hand,” says Divitha.
In critical care and emergency settings, AI has an even bigger impact on patient care. It improves patient monitoring through real-time alerts and pattern detection. “AI can make monitoring and alert systems better, helping identify clinical problems.
Getting Future Nurses Ready for AI-Driven Healthcare
As the National Course Coordinator at IHM, Divitha has the responsibility to shape the education of future nurses. She believes AI will have a significant impact on the skills and knowledge nurses need in the future: “AI will play a major role in nursing education. Curriculums will adapt, and students will have access to creative, AI-driven learning tools like virtual reality, which can simulate hospital environments right at their doorsteps,”.
AI has an impact on how nursing assessments and feedback are provided. “AI will bring more constructive and personalised feedback, allowing students to become independent learners,” she points out. Divitha sees a future where nursing education becomes easier to access, cheaper, and focused on students, with technology leading to smarter—not harder—ways to learn.
Navigating the Challenges of AI Integration
Despite AI’s potential, Divitha believes that bringing AI into healthcare has its hurdles. As someone with training in old-school methods, she admits that getting used to AI ideas has been tough: “Learning and teaching the use of AI hasn’t been a walk in the park, and one should not expect it to be. Nurses are progressive and lifelong learners; we should welcome the change and be part of the change. The only constant is change.
IHM is adding AI to their lessons and tests, teaching students to use AI tools in a safe and ethical way. Divitha stresses that AI should help human choices, not take over: “AI makes our work better, but the moral and ethical calls nurses make can’t and will not be replaced.”
Tackling Worldwide Health Issues with AI
Divitha brings a special outlook on AI’s role in solving healthcare problems, thanks to her experience in Australia and in India. AI can make processes like triage and diagnosis more efficient in places with limited resources and longer waiting times.
“AI can assist nurses to sort patients in busy settings, letting them focus on the most urgent cases. This means healthcare workers can give better care even when the system is overloaded,” she points out. By giving nurses AI tools to help them make clinical decisions medical teams can handle more patients while still providing safe and quality care.
AI for Emergency Medicine and Disaster Response
Divitha is excited about how AI and AI powered tools could help in emergencies and disasters where making quick choices can mean the difference between living and dying. “AI tools take some of the mental work off healthcare workers, letting them spend enough time to check patients. This can be crucial to saving lives,” she points out.
AI can also make communication better during emergencies, cutting down on delays and improving the overall response by making information flow smoother between multi-disciplinary teams. Being able to predict and list the resources needed helps make sure vital supplies are where they need to be when they’re most needed.
Keeping empathy alive in the AI Era
People often approach AI in healthcare as a threat. A medium that will replace humans and make health care less caring. But Divitha says AI can work with humans, not take their place. “AI can predict and suggest to nurses which patients need more time and emotional help, so that they can manage time effectively and be available for the most vulnerable.
“AI handles tasks that can stress out nurses. AI can make nurses’ jobs lighter by doing /capturing documentation. This may help nurses stay less stressed, healthy and give more attention to areas of patient care that normally get rushed or ignored.
Using AI to Make Healthcare Better in the Future
As AI keeps growing, Divitha urges current and future nurses to welcome it as a way to make healthcare better. “AI will not take over nurses’ jobs. It’s here to enhance what we do, letting us zero in on the human side of care that machines can’t copy.”
Nurses must adapt to the rapidly evolving healthcare environment and leverage AI to deliver improved, quicker, and more compassionate patient care. With proper training, academic support, skill development, and career growth opportunities, they will continue to set the standard for patient-centred care by combining advanced technology with their unique human touch.
Pull Quote:
“AI will play a major role in nursing education. Curriculums will adapt, and students will have access to creative, AI-driven learning tools like virtual reality, which can simulate hospital environments right at their doorsteps”