ALBANY, N.Y. -- Artificial intelligence has been a powerful tool in revolutionizing the field of medicine and healthcare, but, now, some are raising concerns about the growing role of AI in the industry.
Nurses from Albany Stratton Veteran Affairs Medical Center gathered outside the Department of Veterans Affairs in Albany Thursday to rally for safer staffing levels and patient safeguards amidst the rapid introduction of artificial intelligence technologies.
The rally was part of a nationwide effort organized by their union, National Nurses United.
The push for safe staffing has been a unifying message among nurses across New York State including at Albany Medical Center.
"We're there to talk to our people, patients, to take care of them, to ask them what their needs are. Like we can't connect with our patients the way we should be doing," said Gwendolyn Freiermuht, a registered nurse and NNU member at Stratton VA.
NNU nurses argue that safe staffing and patient care could never take a backseat to cost-cutting measures or overreliance on technology, raising concerns over the increasing use of AI in the workplace.
The nurses fear hospital executives are investing more in artificial intelligence instead of ways to recruit and retain staff.
According to a survey NNU conducted, it found that artificial intelligence technology often contradicts and undermines nurses' own clinical judgment and threatens patient safety, leading the union to call for stricter regulation and greater input from nurses and health care staff on whether and how A.I. is deployed from hospitals nationwide.
They argued that decisions made by algorithms, rather than medical professionals, could lead to critical errors.
"The information that we got is patients being discharged from surgery, they'll go home early with a tablet and have an AI person talk to them and basically assess them which is-- I can't even imagine because as a post-operative patient, a lot of things can happen. You need eyes on a patient," expressed Freiermuht, highlighting concerns about post-operative care.
Despite these concerns, AI has made significant contributions to the medical field, such as detecting diseases like cancer earlier and streamlining administrative tasks.
"One thing I learned is that it's very helpful in generating prior approval letters for insurance companies," said Dr. James Saperstone, with Community Care in Guilderland, reflecting on how AI has assisted him in his practice.
"Diagnostically, it's become very helpful in suggesting or augmenting medical diagnoses-- CAT scans, lab work," he added.
However, he emphasized that AI is merely a tool to support human decision-making, adding, "It will never replace humans. I mean the empathy isn't AI. And bedside manner, when we're in a room with a patient is body language. The way they look at you."
The nurses clarified that they are not against AI technology but urged hospital administrators to slow its implementation to ensure quality patient care, particularly at the bedside.
The Albany Stratton VA Medical Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment.