What nurses need from AI now: trusted tools and a stronger voice
28 de maio de 2026
AI use in nursing is real, but nurses aren't getting the support they need to be most effective
Elsevier’s Clinician of the Future 2026: Nursing Edition suggests nurses are already deciding where AI fits, and what will make it most useful in the future.
The answer is not faster adoption for its own sake. It is trusted adoption: AI that supports nurses’ work, respects their judgment and reflects their voice.
Interest in AI is driven by workload
Nurses are working under rising pressure:
61% say they are seeing more patients than a year ago
43% say keeping up with medical advances is challenging
42% say keeping up with the latest technologies and tools is challenging
That makes interest in AI easy to understand. Nurses are looking for tools that can reduce friction, support learning and help nurses keep pace with a faster clinical environment.
They're also optimistic about that role:
80% say AI will not replace clinicians, but will become a critical assistant in the next five to 10 years
78% say skill with AI tools will become an essential part of clinician training and competencies
Why it matters: Nurses are asking whether AI can make the work more manageable, safer and better supported.
Read: Elevating nurses as impact makers
Nurses are already using AI
The report does not show a profession waiting on the sidelines. Nurses are already using AI where it helps with learning, communication and information management.
Among those nurses that use AI:
42% use generalist AI tools for professional education and upskilling
40% use generalist AI tools for patient education
40% of those using clinical-specific tools use them for clinical documentation
34% use clinical-specific tools for patient care decision support
Generalist tools can help with broad information tasks, but nurses need trusted resources built for nursing workflows, nursing questions and the pace of care. That's where more specialist AI support could make a real difference.
But it is still early:
41% of nurses use AI for work
only about half think their institutions are doing a good job providing access to AI tools, governance and training
Why it matters: AI is entering nursing through practical use cases, institutional support has not fully caught up, and further adoption depends on the right tools.
Trust will decide what happens next
Nurses do not just want more AI. They want AI they can trust.
Right now, only 42% say they trust AI tools.
The trust signals are clear:
65% say trust would improve if tools were easy to use
62% want comprehensive tools that draw from multiple sources
61% want transparency, including citations
That's a useful warning for healthcare leaders and technology teams. For nurses, trust is tied to usability, evidence and transparency.
Why it matters: the most successful AI tools in nursing must be clear, grounded and easy to use inside real clinical workflows.
Nurses need a stronger voice
There is another finding that should shape AI adoption: 41% of nurses say their views are never or rarely adequately represented in organizational decision-making.
That matters because AI is not only a technology decision. It's a workflow decision, a governance decision and a practice decision.
Tools are more likely to earn trust when nurses can help shape:
what gets adopted
how it is introduced
where it fits in care
what safeguards are needed
This aligns with Elsevier’s nursing focus: building trusted, evidence-based support with nurses and educators, not designing innovation at a distance.
Why it matters: AI adoption will work better when nurses are treated as impact makers, not just end users.
The opportunity is trusted support
For nursing, the next phase of AI will not be defined by the loudest claims.
It will be defined by whether tools are useful in practice, grounded in quality sources and introduced in ways that strengthen professional judgment.
That makes the opportunity bigger than AI alone.
It is about helping nurses work with more confidence, keep learning as practice evolves and bring trusted support closer to the point of care.
From education to practice, the path is the same: prepare nurses well, support them with evidence and give them a stronger voice in the tools shaping care.