Nurse adoption of AI is lagging behind physicians, even as their workload continues to increase, according to a survey conducted by Elsevier. Most nurses feel unsupported in using AI, which could be curbing nurses' use of these tools despite seeing their value.
The annual global survey polled 2,757 clinicians between December 2025 and February 2026. The survey respondents included 692 nurses and 2,065 physicians from 118 countries.
According to the survey, only 41% of nurses are using AI tools for work, compared with 57% of physicians. Further, only 30% of nurses said they used clinical-specific AI tools frequently or always, versus 37% of doctors.
The lack of adoption is not associated with a lack of enthusiasm for AI. The survey showed that 53% of nurses believe that AI tools give them more choice, and 51% note that AI tools empower them.
Still, only about half said their organization provides adequate access to AI tools (51%), AI governance (51%) and training (46%).
These lagging AI adoption rates come as more than half of nurse respondents (61%) reported seeing more patients than they did one year ago. Excessive administrative burden (64%), a lack of support staff (56%) and increasing complexity of patients' medical needs (56%) are also adding to nursing challenges.
Nurses see AI adoption as a way to manage the above challenges, with 40% using clinical-specific AI tools to search medical literature, 40% for clinical documentation and 33% for clinical decision support. Additionally, 42% said they use general-purpose AI tools for professional education and upskilling and 40% for patient education.
Additionally, 80% of nurse respondents said that while AI will not replace clinicians, it will become a critical assistant in the next 5 to 10 years. More than half believe they will soon help improve patient outcomes (59%), increase the quality of patient consultations (53%) and save them time (55%).
However, only 42% believe AI tools are trustworthy, indicating a need to increase nurses' trust in the tools. According to the survey, 65% want AI tools that are easy to use with clear outputs, 62% want them to be comprehensive and 61% want them to be transparent.
"AI has the potential to make a real difference in how we deliver care, but there is a clear lack of AI tools designed specifically with nurses in mind," said Amy Hall, Ph.D., professor and dean at the School of Nursing at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, in the press release. "Nurses need a stronger voice in which tools are adopted to support patients and how they are implemented. When nurses aren't included in AI decisions, it's harder to integrate these technologies into everyday practice in ways that truly support patients and workflows."
Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers the virtual healthcare landscape, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring and digital therapeutics.
