AI-powered nursing handoffs: Introducing and evaluating the patient report template (10 July 2025)

Summary

Research shows that nurses often spend significant time on tasks such as medication management, staff communication, and equipment preparation, which reduces direct patient care time. Although certain non-care tasks, like organising supplies and ongoing education, are essential, there is room for improvement in other areas. The use of EHRs is one area that presents both advantages and challenges for nurses. While EHRs allow access to critical information, like medication schedules and historical data, issues such as software unfamiliarity, system outages, and restrictive data entry methods can hinder nurses' efficiency. Improving nursing handoffs and EHR integration is essential not only for immediate clinical efficiency but also for advancing toward a Learning Health System (LHS), where real-world data and clinician feedback drive continuous improvement in care delivery.

Content

The purpose of this study was to understand (1) if nurses view the individual components of the Patient Report Template as useful in their day-to-day workflow, and (2) understand the perceptions of nurses related to artificial intelligence use in their day-to-day work.

The study found that (1) nurses have reservations about the accuracy and trustworthiness of artificial intelligence in their work, but believe that it will provide utility to them, and (2) most components of the Patient Report Template, with exceptions, received favorable ratings in terms of their perceived usefulness in nurses' work.

While nurses believe that artificial intelligence will bring utility to their work, they feel that these systems have the potential for inaccuracy and may not be trustworthy. This highlights a need for education, transparency, and support when artificial intelligence systems are implemented. Highly rated sections of the Patient Report Template like Patient Profile, Actions, and Safety suggest that these components could be beneficial to nurses, aiding the accuracy and completeness of nursing handoffs.