JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Technology has a major impact on the way nurses work. Especially data driven technologies, such as AI, have the potential to support nurses in their work. However, their use also comes with a lot of ambiguities. An example of such a technology is AI-driven lifestyle monitoring in long-term care for older adults, based on data collected from ambient sensors in an older adult’s home. Designing and implementing this technology in such an intimate setting requires collaboration with nurses experienced in long-term and older adult care. This viewpoint paper emphasizes the need to incorporate nurses and the nursing perspective at every stage of designing, using, and implementing AI-driven lifestyle monitoring in long-term care settings. It is argued that the technology won’t replace nurses, but rather acts as a new digital colleague, complementing the qualities of human nurses and seamlessly integrating into nursing workflows. Several advantages of such a collaboration between nurses and the technology are highlighted, potential risks such as decreased patient empowerment, depersonalization, lack of transparency and loss of human contact are explored and practical suggestions are given to move forward.