Nurses must ensure that the use of AI does not compromise the nature of the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship. Effective communication strategies and interpersonal skills are essential for nurses to create a human connection, which contributes to establishing and maintaining a therapeutic relationship based on trust, respect and empathy. 

When considering the use of AI in your practice, reflect on:

• How would the use of AI impact the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship?
• What should be shared with the patient regarding the use of AI in their care?
• How can you build and maintain patient trust to ensure the use of AI enhances, rather than detracts from the therapeutic relationship?

Learn more about your accountabilities: 

Therapeutic Nurse-Client Relationship practice standard

It is essential that nurses maintain competence through education and training to ensure they stay up to date with the evolving health care environment, technologies and the potential risks and benefits that accompany them. 

Although the use of AI can create efficiencies, it should serve as a tool that complements rather than replaces a nurse’s knowledge, skill and judgment. When using AI, nurses remain accountable for making informed decisions regarding patient care, while being aware of the various limitations that AI presents. 

When considering the use of AI in your practice, reflect on:

• What is my current understanding of AI?
• What do I still need to know about the AI tools used in my work setting to be able to use them more effectively? 
• Am I able to perform the activity or skill independently, without assistance from AI? 
• How will I educate myself to become competent when using AI tools?
• How can I assess the appropriateness and accuracy of the content/output of the AI tool?  

When reflecting on your competency as a nurse, it can be helpful to review the entry-to-practice competencies for your registration class to identify any areas for further learning or review.  

Learn more about your accountabilities: 

• Scope of Practice standard 
• Quality Assurance program
• Entry-to-Practice Competencies for Registered Nurses
• Entry-to-Practice Competencies for Registered Practical Nurses
• Entry Level Competencies for Nurse Practitioner
  

Nurses must consider their specific practice environment or context, and what might impact it, including sector-specific legislation or their employer’s policies. Nurses are expected to practice in compliance with all relevant legislation, the standards of practice of the profession, including the Code of Conduct and applicable employer policies and procedures.

When considering the use of AI in your practice, reflect on:

• Is the use of AI appropriate for the practice context in which I am working?
• Does the AI tool comply with relevant provincial and federal legislation and employer policies?
• Can I use AI if my employer does not have a policy? Do I need to develop my own policy if I am self-employed?

As with all activities, nurses must ensure they have obtained informed consent from the patient or their substitute decision maker. This includes involving patients and their caregivers in the decision to use AI tools as part of their care. Patients also need to be informed about their right to refuse or withdraw their consent, recognizing that consent can be revoked or changed at any time. Informed consent must be obtained if AI tools record conversations as there may be legal implications if consent is not obtained prior to recording. 

When considering the use of AI in your practice, reflect on:

• Have I provided the patient or their substitute decision maker with all the information they need to make an informed decision to consent or decline to the use of AI in their care?
• Can I clearly explain the benefits, risks and limitations of the AI tool to my patients?
• Can I clearly explain how personal health information will be stored and possibly used to further teach AI tools?

Learn more about your accountabilities: 

• Consent practice guideline
• Documentation practice standard
• Professional Conduct: Professional Misconduct reference document

To provide equitable and culturally safe care that is free from discrimination, it is essential for nurses to understand how personal attributes and societal contexts influence patient outcomes. Because AI systems have learned from historical data that reflects past discrimination and bias, inherent bias can exist within AI data sets and algorithms. This may impact patient care by resulting in the perpetuation rather than the elimination of bias.

Through continuous education in determinants of health, cultural safety, cultural humility and anti-racism, nurses can identify inherent issues with the use of AI and make reasonable efforts to address such biases when working with diverse communities, including Indigenous Peoples and equity-deserving groups. When using AI in practice, nurses need to be aware of and use caution in interpreting content/output by taking into consideration patient demographics and contextual factors to inform decisions and next steps. 

When considering the use of AI in your practice, reflect on:

• Have I accounted for potential bias of the data produced by AI? How do I report suspected biases? 
• Where could there be biases in the data? Can I determine if the data represents current demographics and perspectives?
• What can I learn about data bias in AI so I can be aware of possible historical or social inequities?  
• Have I considered the practice context and if the use of AI is appropriate?
• Who will be impacted by the AI? How will they be impacted? Who’s and what interests are represented and how? 
  

• Code of Conduct practice standard
• Inclusion for all: Nothing about us, without us

When using AI, nurses need to be aware of how patient data is collected, used, disclosed, accessed and stored in accordance with applicable provincial and federal legislation and employer policies. Like other digital or electronic systems, such as electronic medical records, AI should promote sharing of health information among the health care team, with safeguards in place to protect the privacy, confidentiality and access rights of patients. Understanding how patient information and data is stored when AI is used is imperative for nurses to ensure a patient’s privacy is not inadvertently breached. 

When considering the use of AI in your practice, reflect on:

• Do I understand where and how the AI tool collects, uses and stores patient information and data? For example, is the data stored within the organization or is it stored externally, or even outside of Canada? 
• What are the risks and benefits of using AI in the practice environment?
• Can I maintain patient privacy and confidentiality when using AI tools?
• Can I collect, use, disclose, access, store and transmit personal patient data securely?
• Have I informed the patient about how their data will be used?
• Do I need to de-identify or anonymize patient data before using an AI tool?

Learn more about your accountabilities: 

• Confidentiality and Privacy — Personal Health Information practice standard
• Information Privacy Commissioner of Ontario