Artificial intelligence (AI) integration in healthcare has become more prevalent through the advancements of ChatGPT, an OpenAI-developed AI language model based on deep learning that produces human-like text.
ChatGPT has many questioning its role in healthcare, specifically its use in nursing education.
So Daily Nurse spoke with Bei Wu, PhD, FGSA, FAAN (Honorary), Vice Dean for Research, Dean’s Professor in Global Health, New York University, Rory Meyers College of Nursing, and Xiang Qi, BSN, RN, PhD candidate at New York University, Rory Meyers College of Nursing about ChatGPT’s potential use in geriatric nursing education.
Bei Wu, PhD, FGSA, FAAN (Honorary), Vice Dean for Research, Dean’s Professor in Global Health, New York University, Rory Meyers College of Nursing, and Xiang Qi, BSN, RN, PhD candidate at New York University, Rory Meyers College of Nursing
What follows is our interview, edited for length and clarity.
How has AI integration become more prevalent with technological advancements in the healthcare field?
Xiang Qi: AI has become increasingly prevalent in the healthcare field due to several factors, including advancements in machine learning algorithms, increased computational power, and the availability of large datasets for training. These improvements have led to applications such as early disease detection, personalized medicine, patient monitoring, telehealth, and streamlining administrative tasks. For example, in geriatric nursing care, AI is used for monitoring patients with dementia, detecting falls, facilitating communication, and managing medications, enhancing the overall quality and efficiency of care for older adults.
Does ChatGPT provide students a convenient and accessible way to access information and practice their clinical skills?
Bei Wu: ChatGPT provides students a convenient and accessible way to access information and practice their clinical skills. As an AI language model, ChatGPT can offer instant feedback, answer questions, and engage in interactive conversations, making it a valuable resource for learning. However, it is important to note that ChatGPT should be used as a supplementary tool alongside traditional educational methods and guidance from qualified educators to ensure a comprehensive understanding of clinical skills and concepts.
Talk about the potential for ChatGPT-assisted learning in geriatric nursing education.
Xiang Qi: ChatGPT-assisted learning has significant potential in geriatric nursing education. Key benefits include accessibility, personalized learning, scenario-based learning, and continuous updates. For example, ChatGPT allows students to access information and resources 24/7, accommodating diverse schedules and learning needs.
ChatGPT can simulate patient interactions, enabling students to practice communication, decision-making, and critical thinking skills in realistic geriatric care situations. In addition, AI can tailor the learning experience based on individual students’ needs, strengths, and weaknesses, ensuring effective learning outcomes. Furthermore, ChatGPT can integrate the latest research and best practices in geriatric care, keeping students current with evolving knowledge. However, it’s crucial to combine ChatGPT-assisted learning with guidance from experienced instructors and hands-on training to ensure the development of well-rounded geriatric nursing professionals.
What are the potential misuses of ChatGPT in geriatric nursing education?
Xiang Qi: Potential misuses of ChatGPT in geriatric nursing education include students’ overreliance, misinformation, limitations in empathy, and inadequate preparation. For instance, students may become overly dependent on ChatGPT, neglecting the need for hands-on experience, critical thinking, and guidance from a qualified educator. For the problem of misinformation, while ChatGPT is a powerful tool, it may occasionally provide inaccurate or outdated information, which could negatively impact students’ learning. As an AI, ChatGPT lacks genuine empathy, essential in geriatric nursing. Overemphasis on AI-based learning may hinder students’ interpersonal skills and compassion development. Furthermore, ChatGPT is now not well prepared for geriatric nursing education. It cannot replicate all aspects of real-world geriatric care, so students might not be fully prepared for the complexity and challenges of actual clinical situations.
What are some of the potential limitations and fallacies in the use of ChatGPT?
Xiang Qi: Some potential limitations and fallacies in using ChatGPT include inaccurate information, ambiguity and context, verbose and overconfident answers, and dependence on user inputs. As noted in our article, ChatGPT may occasionally provide incorrect or outdated responses, as its knowledge is based on the data it was trained on and is limited to a specific cutoff date. We asked ChatGPT to provide literature on a particular topic, but all its outputs need to be more accurate, and all literature it provided is non-existent. ChatGPT may sometimes generate verbose responses or provide overly confident answers even when uncertain, which could mislead users. It should be mentioned that ChatGPT’s responses are guided by user input, which means that its effectiveness is partly dependent on the clarity and quality of the questions asked. ChatGPT may struggle with understanding ambiguous questions or context, potentially leading to irrelevant or unclear responses.
As AI continues to develop, will it replace educators in the future?
Bei Wu: While AI will likely play an increasingly significant role in education, it is unlikely to replace educators completely. Instead, AI will serve as a tool to complement and support our work. Faculty possess unique qualities, such as empathy, creativity, and adaptability, which are difficult for AI to replicate. The human element remains essential for fostering relationships, understanding individual needs, and providing tailored guidance. AI can, however, streamline administrative tasks, personalize learning experiences, and offer additional resources, allowing educators to focus on higher-level teaching and mentoring responsibilities.
If acquiring knowledge becomes increasingly accessible, what will the role of higher education become in an AI world?
Bei Wu: We may finally enter into an AI world. In an AI-driven world, higher education’s role will likely evolve to focus on skills development, interdisciplinary learning, ethical and social responsibility, and innovation. Higher education will emphasize the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and emotional intelligence, which are difficult for AI to replicate and remain essential for professional success.
Higher education will encourage students to engage in interdisciplinary studies, fostering the ability to integrate knowledge from various fields and driving innovation and adaptability in a rapidly changing world. Furthermore, higher education will play a critical role in teaching students about ethical considerations, social responsibility, and the impact of AI on society, ensuring responsible AI development and application. By embracing these roles, higher education will maintain its relevance and importance in an AI-driven world, preparing students for a future that increasingly depends on human skills, adaptability, and ethical awareness.
What kind of education and training do we need to provide our students so they become highly qualified geriatric nursing professionals?
Bei Wu: Education should focus on theoretical knowledge, clinical skills, interprofessional collaboration, empathetic communication, ethical considerations, cultural competence, evidence-based practice, technological proficiency, and leadership development to train highly qualified geriatric nursing professionals.
I emphasize cultural competence and leadership development as we now see a more diverse world than ever. Educators must equip students with the knowledge and skills to provide culturally sensitive care and respect students from diverse backgrounds with different cultural beliefs and values towards older adults. We also need to foster leadership skills and encourage students to advocate for the needs of older adults, both within the healthcare system and in the broader society. By combining these elements, educational programs can prepare students to become competent, compassionate, and well-rounded geriatric nursing professionals.
Does this mean that training critical thinking, rather than delivering the content of the class materials, becomes more important than ever?
Bei Wu: Yes, training critical thinking becomes increasingly important as it enables students to effectively analyze, interpret, and apply the content of class materials. This skill empowers them to adapt to new information, solve complex problems, and make informed decisions in their professional practice, which is essential in the dynamic field of geriatric nursing.
How should we evaluate students’ competency in acquiring knowledge in the classroom? For example, should we start implementing traditional paper and pencil formats for exams?
Bei Wu: Evaluating students’ competency in acquiring knowledge should involve various assessment methods to capture the breadth and depth of their understanding. While traditional paper-and-pencil exams can help assess theoretical knowledge, it is also essential to consider alternative methods, such as practical exams, which assess students’ clinical skills and abilities through simulations or hands-on clinical experiences; group projects to evaluate teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving skills in real-life scenarios or case studies; presentations that allow students to demonstrate their understanding and communication skills by presenting on specific topics; and portfolios to track students’ progress and achievements over time with a collection of their work, including research papers, clinical evaluations, and other relevant documents. Educators can better evaluate students’ competency across various aspects of their geriatric nursing education by implementing a mix of assessment methods.
While we are making concerted efforts to address health disparities and promote equity globally, do you see the advancement of technology further widening the digital divide across populations with various socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., age, socioeconomic status, and geographic locations)?
Bei Wu: Advancements in AI technology do have the potential to widen the digital divide across populations with different socio-demographic characteristics. Some of the challenges include affordability, infrastructure, and digital literacy. For example, lower-income populations may need help to afford devices, internet connections, or services required to access digital health resources. Rural or underdeveloped areas may need more infrastructure for reliable internet connectivity or access to advanced healthcare technologies. Older adults or those with limited education may need help understanding and utilizing digital technologies effectively.
However, government, healthcare providers, technology companies, and researchers should make concerted efforts to minimize these disparities and promote digital equity. For example, investing in infrastructure to improve internet connectivity and access to digital resources in underserved areas, providing financial assistance or subsidized devices and services for low-income populations, and implementing digital literacy programs to enhance digital skills and understanding across all age groups and backgrounds. By addressing these challenges, the advancement of technology can be harnessed to promote health equity and reduce disparities across diverse populations.
Anything else to add?
Bei Wu: ChatGPT can transform practice and research in geriatric nursing and allied health. Its capabilities in generating natural language text, synthesizing vast data, and responding to specific inquiries render it a valuable asset for healthcare professionals. As geriatric nursing progresses, staying current with cutting-edge tools and methodologies, including AI, becomes crucial for healthcare practitioners.
“The future of nursing and health care is unknown, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a newfound urgency for us to work together to find solutions to both long-standing issues and new challenges,” said Bettencourt. “Starting now, we step forward with a renewed sense of purpose, a commitment to action and a focus on a better tomorrow.”
Bettencourt is an assistant professor in Penn Nursing’s Department of Family and Community Health. As an educator, researcher and pediatric clinical nurse specialist, her focus is on achieving the best possible outcomes for acutely and critically ill children. Her current research involves evaluating factors influencing the research-to-practice gap in critical care settings and testing implementation strategies targeting the interprofessional team to improve evidence-based care. She was recently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, where she was appointed to the National Clinician Scholars Program and received advanced training in implementation science. Previously, she was responsible for ensuring high-quality nursing care and optimal outcomes for burn, trauma and pediatric patients as a clinical nurse specialist at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, and at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, Florida.
Bettencourt’s extensive volunteer service with AACN includes board liaison, NTI Program Planning Committee (2021), AACN – AACN Certification Corporation Nominating Committee, (2020-2021), community moderator, online AACN Peer Support Community Development Team (2020) and board liaison, Chapter Advisory Team (2019-2020).
Her additional affiliations include the American Burn Association and Sigma. In addition to presenting at the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI), she has led sessions at several other conferences, including the American Burn Association’s annual meeting. Bettencourt’s publications are in the areas of implementation science, nursing and patient safety, nurse staffing and work environments, burn critical care and pediatric delirium.
Bettencourt earned a Bachelor of Science in exercise science from the University of Florida, an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master of Science in Nursing from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. She earned a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Science in health care research at the University of Michigan.
Before she assumed the role as president, Bettencourt served a one-year term as president-elect. Before that, she completed a three-year term as a director from July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2021, and a one-year term as treasurer from July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020.
For more than 50 years, the AACN has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with more than 130,000 members and over 200 chapters in the United States.
Yesterday, the University of Rochester School of Nursing announced that they have selected Lisa A. Kitko, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN to head the program. Kitko, an accomplished scholar, researcher, educator, and clinician, will become the sixth dean of the School on September 1, 2022.
The associate dean for graduate education and director of the Ph.D. program at the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing at Penn State University, Kitko emerged as the leading candidate in a national search this spring to replace Kathy Rideout, EdD, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, who announced last year she was stepping down after 11 years as dean.
Kitko accepted an offer from Mark B. Taubman, MD, CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center last week. Announcing the appointment, Taubman said: “Lisa has an outstanding academic record, and I believe that she has the ability to take our School of Nursing to the next level with regard to research, scholarship, and educational innovation. Lisa’s engaging and enthusiastic personality will be an ideal fit within the Medical Center, and I look forward to working with her on bringing the School of Nursing and School of Medicine and Dentistry together and enhancing the School of Nursing’s research profile throughout the University.”
Kitko has been a member of the nursing faculty at Penn State for more than 20 years, rising from the ranks of clinical instructor to associate professor. She was named interim director of the Ph.D. program in 2019 and assumed leadership of the program and was named associate dean for graduate education in January 2020. In those dual roles, she was instrumental in reinvigorating interest in the college’s graduate programs—including the Ph.D. program, which more than doubled in enrollment. She also oversaw the transition from a master’s-level nurse practitioner program to a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Kitko served as co-chair of the assessment committee that led the college through a successful CCNE accreditation visit in January 2021, and she also co-chaired the writing group that resulted in designation as a Center of Excellence (COE) by the National League for Nursing for the college. Kitko is also involved at the university level as a faculty senator and has been appointed to serve on several task forces focused on faculty affairs commissioned by the Office of the Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs.
Kitko began her professional career in 1990 as an intensive care/trauma care nurse and spent more than a decade working as a clinician and hospital administrator. She developed the stroke program at Altoona Hospital while she pursued her master’s degree at Penn State, and later managed the hospital’s inpatient and outpatient neurovascular services.
Kitko also maintains an active and funded program of research focused on the palliative care needs of persons living with life-limiting illnesses and their family members, with a focus on serious illness conversations. Kitko has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on nearly a dozen grants, including several large projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation, the American Heart Association, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HRSA). Kitko is an internationally recognized expert in palliative care and heart failure and has widely disseminated her work through both peer-reviewed presentations and publications.
A fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the American Heart Association, she served as a Josiah S. Macy Jr. Faculty Scholar from 2015-2017, where she developed an interdisciplinary certificate in primary palliative care. Individuals from many different practice areas have since earned the certificate and are caring for patients in rural and underserved areas that do not have access to specialty palliative care.
A native of Pennsylvania, Kitko received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh in 1990. She earned her master’s as a clinical nurse specialist in 2001 and a PhD in nursing with a minor in gerontology in 2010, both from Penn State.
“Lisa Kitko is an excellent choice to succeed Kathy Rideout as dean,” said Eli Eliav, DMD, Ph.D., director and professor, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, who led the search committee. “Her background and experience coupled with her strong leadership will help support the mission and promote growth in the School of Nursing’s outstanding education and research programs. It was a pleasure working with the School of Nursing faculty and staff on this search.”
KItko herself said, “I am happy and excited to join the great team at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, and thankful for the opportunity to build on its tremendous legacy of innovation and excellence. I loved the graciousness and kindness I felt at the UR School of Nursing, and I was very much attracted to the shared commitment of faculty and staff to make the school the best it can be and provide a top-notch environment for students. I am also exhilarated by the school’s close ties with the Medical Center, and I am looking forward to working with our colleagues across the street to expand and broaden our clinical-academic partnerships.”
On July 6, the Board of Trustees of The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) announced that the Dean of the Yale School of Nursing, epidemiologist Ann Kurth, PhD, MPH, MSN, CNM, FAAN, FACNM will become the first nurse to preside over the Academy on January 1, 2023.
NYAM is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year and views Dr. Kurth’s appointment as another significant milestone in NYAM’s history as she becomes the first non-physician, and the first nurse selected to lead the organization. Dr. Kurth is a leader in higher education and health who shares NYAM’s commitment to advancing health equity. She joins NYAM from Yale University, where she is currently Dean and Linda Koch Lorimer Professor at Yale School of Nursing and Professor, Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at Yale School of Public Health.
“It is truly an honor to join with the board, staff, and supporters of NYAM as it advocates for health in the city and the nation, at a crucial time,” said Dr. Kurth. “As NYAM moves toward its third century of impact, we will use evidence for action, in partnership with our Fellows, communities and colleagues throughout New York.”
An epidemiologist (PhD UW, MPH Columbia) and certified nurse-midwife (MSN Yale), Dr. Kurth draws from the perspectives of her STEAM (STEM + arts/humanities) disciplinary training. Dr. Kurth’s research focuses on HIV/reproductive health, and global health system strengthening, in the context of pandemics, climate change and other stresses—all of which have a disproportionate effect on structurally marginalized populations. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIAID, NIMH, NICHD, NIDA), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNAIDS, CDC, HRSA, and others, for studies in the U.S. and internationally, with over $20 million as principal investigator. At Yale Dr. Kurth co-founded the Yale Institute for Global Health, a cross-university research effort. Dr. Kurth has published 237 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and scholarly monographs and presented at hundreds of scientific conferences and invited talks.
Dr. Kurth is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, where she has been named an Emerging Leader, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and the American College of Nurse-Midwives (FACNM). She is past chair of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, the member association of 175+ universities supporting “academic institutions to improve the wellbeing of people and the planet.” She served on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which sets prevention and screening guidelines for the United States. Dr. Kurth currently co-chairs the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Board on Global Health and serves on the board of Yale New Haven Hospital.
As President, Dr. Kurth will leverage and expand upon NYAM’s accomplishments and legacy as a leading institution for medicine and public health, with a focus on addressing the barriers that prevent every individual from living a healthy life. This appointment marks Dr. Kurth’s return to New York, where she previously held several professorships and leadership roles at the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, Grossman School of Medicine, and School of Global Public Health from 2008 until she joined Yale in 2016.
“We welcome Dean Kurth as our next NYAM President,” said Wayne J. Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP, Chair of the NYAM Board of Trustees and President of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. “As one of the nation’s most renowned nurse leaders, nurse-midwives and epidemiologists, she brings an impressive background, leadership skills and extensive experience in healthcare that will be critical to enhancing NYAM’s mission to catalyze improvement in the health of all New Yorkers and beyond. This is the right time for such an historic appointment.”
Dr. Judith A. Salerno, the current President of NYAM, will complete her five-year tenure on September 30, 2022, at which time she will become NYAM President Emerita and Senior Scholar. The Board and staff of NYAM express their deepest gratitude to Dr. Salerno for her leadership over the last five years and her dedication to furthering NYAM’s vision that everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy life.
Viewing cancer misinformation on social media negatively influenced patients’ decisions and adversely affected their mental health, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer. While online social networks can be useful resources for cancer patients, they’re also scattered with potentially dangerous misinformation.
Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (U of U) created a resource for scientists that lays the foundation for building clinical and patient-friendly tools called the Online Cancer Nutrition Misinformation (ONC-M). The tool tracks and organizes cancer misinformation that comes from social media.
Echo Warner, PhD, MPH, researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute and assistant professor of nursing at the U of U, asked patients and caregivers how they used social media during their cancer experiences. “The benefits of their social media use were mired by exposure to cancer misinformation. They were met with misinformation from many sources, all the way from well-intentioned friends and family to shadow scams selling ‘cancer cures’ to the highest bidder,” Warner says.
ONC-M provides a way for researchers to document how exposure to health misinformation online influences patients and caregivers.
“It’s the first framework to document the process by which exposure to health misinformation online influences patient and caregiver health behaviors and health outcomes,” says Warner. “Before now, the lack of a clear conceptual process, and the factors that influence that process, has been a major roadblock in the study of online health misinformation.”
The ONC-M describes how cancer misinformation is organized, and also creates potential pathways linking misinformation exposure, health behaviors, and cancer health outcomes. Researchers identified several primary cancer misinformation categories and factors that associate with each type of claim. Researchers found untrue claims about cancer prevention, treatment, and cures. These claims were backed by false disclaimers, anecdotes, and misinterpreted scientific articles.
“While still somewhat early in refinement, ONC-M has broad applicability and likely extends beyond cancer-related misinformation to other health domains as well,” says Warner. “We plan to test each part of the framework and study new ways of using technology to measure how much cancer patients are exposed to misinformation online.”
Warner recommends discussing any treatment or therapy questions with healthcare providers. Patients can also use an information quality tool to help identify potential biases, financial incentives, and misleading content about cancer treatments or therapies. One example is the CRAAP test.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute including P30 CA042014, the University of Arizona Cancer Center Cancer Health Disparities Training Program (T32CA078447), University of Arizona College of Nursing Eleanor Bauwens’s Research Award, University of Arizona Postdoctoral Research Development Grant, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service under Cooperative Agreement No. 58-3092-0-001, the MD Anderson Cancer Center Support Grant (P30CA16672), the Center for Energy Balance in Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, Duncan Family Institute, and Huntsman Cancer Foundation. Key collaborators included Margaret Raber Ramsey, DrPH, Baylor College of Medicine, Tracy Crane, PhD, University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Terry Badger, RN, PhD, University of Arizona College of Medicine, and Karen Basen-Engquist, PhD, MD Anderson Cancer Center.
NYU Rory Meyers School of Nursing has been expanding its offerings focused on LGBTQ+ health to better prepare nursing students to provide culturally affirming and inclusive care to this population.
“It is rare for nursing schools to offer coursework dedicated to the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals, despite the unique issues they face and growing interest from students. Our goal is to empower new nurses to provide care for people across sexual orientations and gender expressions that promote health and improves patient outcomes,” said Jeff Day, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, clinical assistant professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, who developed and is teaching a new elective course on LGBTQ+ health.
LGBTQ+ individuals face barriers to healthcare, including stigma and discrimination, as well as longstanding health disparities—for instance, an increased risk for substance use, suicide, and sexually transmitted infections. Nurses have historically been leaders in caring for this patient population, particularly in advocating for people living with HIV and AIDS, but many health
professionals lack an understanding of LGBTQ+ issues in healthcare.
Research shows that undergraduate nursing programs spend an average of only 2.12 hours teaching content about LGBTQ+ health topics. Some nursing schools have taken steps to add LGBTQ+ content to their curricula: At NYU Meyers, educators recently introduced an LGBTQ-focused simulation to prepare nursing students to create a safer healthcare environment for all
patients irrespective of their gender and sexual identity. The simulation demonstrates the use of inclusive language during an imagined emergency room visit.
In 2019, Day was approached by students in one of his courses who were eager to learn more about LGBTQ+ health, prompting the development of the new standalone elective. “While ideally LGBTQ+ content would be woven throughout the entire nursing curriculum, we recognized that this amount of change takes time, so we developed an elective course to help fill the gap in LGBTQ+ educational content” said Day.
The new undergraduate course delves into the role of the nurse in providing culturally inclusive care for LGBTQ+ patients. Students learn about the history of LGBTQ+ health issues, physical and mental health concerns unique to this population, and laws and policies governing LGBTQ+ care. Topics covered include improving the care of transgender patients, HIV/AIDS, and addressing discrimination in healthcare.
The course was successfully piloted at NYU Meyers in Spring 2022 and will officially be part of the curriculum as an elective in Fall 2022.
Kitko has been a member of the nursing faculty at Penn State for more than 20 years, rising from the ranks of clinical instructor to associate professor. She was named interim director of the Ph.D. program in 2019 and assumed leadership of the program and was named associate dean for graduate education in January 2020. In those dual roles, she was instrumental in reinvigorating interest in the college’s graduate programs—including the Ph.D. program, which more than doubled in enrollment. She also oversaw the transition from a master’s-level nurse practitioner program to a Doctor of Nursing Practice (
