Port Charlotte nurses participate in nationwide protest against AI in healthcare

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Nurses at HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital in Port Charlotte took to the street with signs on Thursday to raise awareness about the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

The National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), held similar events across the country, saying AI could lead to staff reductions and undermine quality patient care.

“Patients need a human touch, a robot can never replace a nurse,” said Valerie Jean, an RN in Fawcett’s float pool department.

Jean told Fox 4 that relying too much on AI could lead to mistakes in patient treatment, as the technology systems lack the expertise human nurses bring to decision making.

“There’s patients that based on the AI, it looks like they are okay to go home like they are ready for a safe discharge when they’re not,” said Jean.

The NNU called for hospitals to “ensure safe staffing levels and patient safeguards amidst the rapid introduction of artificial intelligence technologies.”

A spokesperson for Fawcett hospital said the protest was the union's latest attempt to gain attention.

“Today’s activity, which is happening at other health systems around the country as well, is a routine tactic from this labor union in hopes of gaining attention. Our staffing is safe and appropriate and we work closely with our doctors and nurses to identify and develop technologies to help improve workflows and allow our caregivers to spend more time with their patients.”

-HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital

According to the Cleveland Clinic, AI has the potential to revolutionize health care, and can perform several hospital duties like scheduling. The Cleveland Clinic also said that AI can help detect subtle cancers, and interpret scans like an MRI or an X-ray, sometimes more accurately than humans.

Jean said the nurses want assurance that the technology will be used as a tool, not a replacement for healthcare workers.