Workforce retention, especially for nurses, is a top concern for hospital CEOs. Although the turnover rate has fallen from 22.5% to 18.4% in the past year, the cost of replacing each nurse has increased, from $3.9 million to almost $6 million annually, according to a 2024 report from recruiting agency Nursing Solutions Inc.
Healthcare is still in the early stages when it comes to using artificial intelligence in a clinical setting, but the emerging technology is beginning to show promise as a workflow tool that can ease nurse burnout and retain staff members.
Guthrie Clinic, for instance, first tested AI in a virtual telesitting program to support bedside nurses with highly trained virtual nurses who could attend rounds and review medications and protocols.
This approach is an example of ambient technology, which is one of the top use cases for AI in healthcare workflows, says Shannon Germain Farraher, a registered nurse and senior analyst for healthcare at Forrester.
“For nurses, the workflow is complex. AI is good at listening to a 10-minute physician conversation and summarizing it, but not as good at summing up what happens in a 12-hour shift where a nurse is in and out of a patient’s room 25 times,” Germain Farraher says.