Ambient AI reshapes nursing workflows and boosts patient interaction

Editor's Note

Healthcare systems are finding that ambient AI built for doctors does not automatically translate to nursing care, HealthLeaders November 4 reports. However, Mercy for instance is piloting Microsoft’s Dragon Copilot AI for nursing and discovering that the nurse-patient encounter requires tailored design and training to capture accurate, useful data.

Nurses spend roughly a quarter of their time documenting care, but much of their work is hands-on and often performed silently. That poses a challenge for ambient AI tools that rely on spoken cues to generate notes for the medical record. Cheryl Denison, BSN, RN, a clinical applications leader at Mercy, told the outlet that nurses typically internalize their observations rather than verbalize them, so adapting to AI-supported workflows requires a shift in habits and communication style.

Mercy’s leaders emphasized the nurse-patient relationship is deeply personal, driven by touch, presence, and reassurance. Stephanie Clements, the system’s chief nurse executive, says nurses choose the profession for its interpersonal nature, which is not always compatible with narrating each task aloud. Yet, to fully leverage an ambient AI platform, nurses need to speak more openly about their assessments and patient interactions, including often invisible work that supports recovery.

It took about a year of preparation to tailor Dragon Copilot for nursing use at Mercy. Leaders focused on change management and on helping nurses adjust to the need for clearer language. For example, saying “pulses are palpable” is too vague for AI, which must know whether the nurse is referring to pedal pulses, radial pulses, or another site. Nurses now review AI-generated notes to ensure accuracy and build better habits for future interactions.

The early results are promising. Nurses are spending less time on a computer and more at the bedside, with patients reporting they feel more seen and engaged. This is improving documentation quality, flow sheet accuracy, and overall patient satisfaction. Mercy is tracking metrics such as incidental overtime, documentation time, and self-reported stress. About two-thirds of surveyed nurses say the AI tool has eased their workloads and reduced burnout, with strong adoption among experienced nurses.