Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Sep;72(3):e13059.
doi: 10.1111/inr.13059. Epub 2024 Nov 15.

Navigating ethical considerations in the use of artificial intelligence for patient care: A systematic review

Walaa Badawy  1 , Haithm Zinhom  2 , Mostafa Shaban  3
Affiliations

Navigating ethical considerations in the use of artificial intelligence for patient care: A systematic review

Walaa Badawy et al. Int Nurs Rev. 2025 Sep.

Abstract

Aim: To explore the ethical considerations and challenges faced by nursing professionals in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into patient care.

Background: AI's integration into nursing practice enhances clinical decision-making and operational efficiency but raises ethical concerns regarding privacy, accountability, informed consent, and the preservation of human-centered care.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Thirteen studies were selected from databases including PubMed, Embase, IEEE Xplore, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. Thematic analysis identified key ethical themes related to AI use in nursing.

Results: The review highlighted critical ethical challenges, such as data privacy and security, accountability for AI-driven decisions, transparency in AI decision-making, and maintaining the human touch in care. The findings underscore the importance of stakeholder engagement, continuous education for nurses, and robust governance frameworks to guide ethical AI implementation in nursing.

Discussion: The results align with existing literature on AI's ethical complexities in healthcare. Addressing these challenges requires strengthening nursing competencies in AI, advocating for patient-centered AI design, and ensuring that AI integration upholds ethical standards.

Conclusion: Although AI offers significant benefits for nursing practice, it also introduces ethical challenges that must be carefully managed. Enhancing nursing education, promoting stakeholder engagement, and developing comprehensive policies are essential for ethically integrating AI into nursing.

Implications for nursing: AI can improve clinical decision-making and efficiency, but nurses must actively preserve humanistic care aspects through ongoing education and involvement in AI governance.

Implications for health policy: Establish ethical frameworks and data protection policies tailored to AI in nursing. Support continuous professional development and allocate resources for the ethical integration of AI in healthcare.

Keywords: Academic subject; communication; ethics; nurse–patient communication; patient participation; research; systematic reviews.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Abuzaid, M.M., Elshami, W. & Fadden, S.M. (2022) Integration of artificial intelligence into nursing practice. Health and Technology, 12(6), 1109–1115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12553‐022‐00697‐0
    1. Ahmad, S.F., Han, H., Alam, M.M., Rehmat, M.K., Irshad, M., Arraño‐Muñoz, M. & Ariza‐Montes, A. (2023) Impact of artificial intelligence on human loss in decision making, laziness and safety in education. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 311. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599‐023‐01787‐8
    1. Al‐Ani, A., Rayyan, A., Maswadeh, A., Sultan, H., Alhammouri, A., Asfour, H., Alrawajih, T., Al Sharie, S., Al Karmi, F., Al‐Azzam, A.M., Mansour, A. & Al‐Hussaini, M. (2024) Evaluating the understanding of the ethical and moral challenges of Big Data and AI among Jordanian medical students, physicians in training, and senior practitioners: a cross‐sectional study. BMC Medical Ethics, 25(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910‐024‐01008‐0
    1. Alowais, S.A., Alghamdi, S.S., Alsuhebany, N., Alqahtani, T., Alshaya, A.I., Almohareb, S.N., Aldairem, A., Alrashed, M., Saleh, K.B. Badreldin, H.A., Al Yami, M.S., Al Harbi, S. & Albekairy, A.M. (2023) Revolutionizing healthcare: the role of artificial intelligence in clinical practice. BMC Medical Education, 23(1), 689. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909‐023‐04698‐z
    1. Alruwaili, M.M., Shaban, M. & Elsayed Ramadan, O.M. (2023) Digital health interventions for promoting healthy aging: a systematic review of adoption patterns, efficacy, and user experience. Sustainability (Switzerland) 15(23), 16503. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316503

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources