Postgraduate nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding artificial intelligence: a qualitative...

The combination of healthcare and artificial intelligence (AI) has profoundly changed the course of certain areas of nursing. Postgraduate nursing students, as key contributors to the discipline's development, warrant investigation regarding their perceptions of AI. Most qualitative studies on AI perceptions in nursing have focused on undergraduate students and clinical nurses, leaving a research gap regarding postgraduate nursing students. The aim of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of AI among postgraduate nursing students in the field of nursing.

A descriptive-qualitative research approach was adopted to conduct semistructured interviews with seventeen nursing graduate students. The audio recordings of the interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the resulting interview data were analysed through thematic analysis.

Three themes were generated: cognitive perceptions of AI, attitudes toward AI, and practical dilemmas in the use of AI.

Nursing postgraduates acknowledge the advantages of AI in relation to its functional roles, emotional interactions, enhanced productivity, and expanded research avenues. However, they also raised concerns regarding the inherent challenges of AI, external factors, and ethical-legal considerations. In the future, the provision of training in AI-related content within nursing education should be enhanced, adequate financial and technical support should be provided, and measures to improve privacy protection and legal systems should be implemented.