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Artificial Intelligence Readiness in Nursing: A Scoping Review of Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, and Emerging Evidence on Patient Safety Culture

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into nursing practice, yet nurses often demonstrate low to moderate AI knowledge, mixed attitudes, and inconsistent practice behaviors. Although individual studies have examined these domains, no review has comprehensively examined AI-related knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) together with the emerging evidence on patient safety culture among nurses. This gap is significant because safe AI adoption in nursing depends on both technical com…

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourcePeer-reviewedTRV-2026-2015· cite & verify
Artificial Intelligence Readiness in Nursing: A Scoping Review of Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, and Emerging Evidence on Patient Safety Culture
Construction site tour of the Skilled Nursing Residence, in Edgartown, on the island of Martha's Vineyard, in Dukes County, Maryland on August 5, 2024 - 33 by USDAgov. Public domain

In brief

A scoping review searched five databases for 2021–2026 studies and included ten that examined AI-related knowledge, attitudes and practice among nurses and other healthcare participants. Studies from China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates reported variable knowledge but mostly positive attitudes, along with concerns about privacy, job displacement and reduced empathy.

The findings matter because safe AI adoption in nursing depends on both technical competence and a strong safety culture, and the review points to gaps in training and organizational support. What remains unclear is whether AI readiness actually improves patient safety culture, since only one study addressed it and it did not report nurse-specific results.

Main points

  1. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria, drawn from searches of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and ScienceDirect covering 2021–2026.
  2. Younger age, higher education and prior AI exposure were associated with more favorable perceptions of AI.
  3. Nurses across regions emphasized the need for structured AI training.
  4. Only one study examined patient safety culture; it found AI knowledge and attitudes predicted it, with attitude having the stronger effect.

The problem

Nurses across several countries show variable AI knowledge, limited formal training and ethical worries, while evidence linking AI readiness to patient safety culture rests on one multidisciplinary study.

The rundown

The review followed the Arksey and O'Malley framework and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, with data extraction and narrative synthesis guided by Joanna Briggs Institute methods. Because several studies used multidisciplinary samples without separate nurse data, only studies with extractable nurse-specific results informed nurse-focused conclusions.

Reported attitudes were predominantly positive, yet knowledge was variable and ethical concerns, including privacy, job displacement and reduced empathy, were common. Respondents in different regions called for structured AI training.

On safety culture, the single eligible cross-sectional study found that AI knowledge and attitudes significantly predicted patient safety culture. The authors call for future research on how AI competencies interact with safety-related behaviors and organizational systems, and for stronger training, ethical guidance and organizational support.

Sources

  1. Peer-reviewedNursing Reports2026-10-19

The debate