Nurses' ethical leadership, artificial intelligence, and moral sensitivity activation

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Informatics
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare necessitates understanding nurses' perceptions for successful technological adaptation.
• Nurses' subjective views on AI are critical for their professional adaptability in evolving healthcare environments.
• Existing research insufficiently explains the mechanisms influencing nurses' perceptions of AI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of ethical leadership on nurses' AI perception over time.
• To examine the mediating role of moral sensitivity in the relationship between ethical leadership and AI perception.
• To explore the synergistic effects of organizational and individual factors on nurses' technological adaptation.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study involving 584 nurses across six tertiary hospitals in China.
• Data collected in three waves using cross-lagged panel modeling and structural equation modeling.
• Analysis of temporal predictive pathways and mediating mechanisms among ethical leadership, moral sensitivity, and AI perception.

Main Results:

• Ethical leadership at Time 1 positively predicted AI perception at Time 2 and Time 3.
• Ethical leadership significantly enhanced nurses' moral sensitivity across measurement waves.
• Moral sensitivity partially mediated the positive impact of ethical leadership on AI perception.

Conclusions:

• Ethical leadership and moral sensitivity are key drivers of nurses' acceptance and understanding of AI.
• These factors foster nurses' psychological adaptability and professional integration during AI implementation.
• Creating an ethically grounded work environment supports nurses in the digital transformation of healthcare.