Nursing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Assessing the Role of Smart Technologies in Enhancing Patient Satisfaction with Healthcare Services

Abstract

The fast adoption of artificial intelligence, or AI, in healthcare requires a strict interpretation of its effects on patient-centered outcomes, but there was a lack of empirical data that directly correlates the use of AI technology by nurses with patient satisfaction. This paper examined the connection between the application of smart technologies by nurses and the level of patient satisfaction in an acute care facility. The study used a cross-sectional, correlational design, where 75 registered nurses and 350 patients were recruited in medical-surgical and intensive care units. The validated Nurse Technology Utilization Scale (NTUS) and the Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Care Scale (PSNCS) were used to collect data and were analysed using multiple linear regression, controlling the patient age, length of stay, and clinical unit. The results of the analysis showed that there was a strong positive correlation between the use of technology and general satisfaction (r=0.412, p=0.01). The use of technology was found to be the most predictive of patient satisfaction ( 0.412, p 0.001), and it explained a considerable amount of the variance in the regression model (adjusted R 2 = 0.196). A follow-up regression model showed that the predictive relationship between technology use and the empathy subscale of satisfaction was even stronger ( 0.478, p 0.001). These findings prove that the adoption of AI technologies in nursing practice is closely linked with the increase in patient satisfaction, which gives an evidence base to the strategic adoption of healthcare technologies to enhance patient-centered care.