SEPTEMBER 20248In My OpinionArtificial intelligence (AI) is the hottest topic in the technological advancement. We hear and read daily about AI in every industry worldwide and have it discussed in many dialogues across the globe. How important is AI then to the Critical Care world? Let's have a glimpse of AI in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).In 2021, Peine A et al. mentioned in their journal that VentAI, a reinforcement learning algorithm, was used in mechanically ventilated patients and improved adjustments in tidal volume and positive end-expiratory pressure with target outcomes of 90-day and ICU mortality. During the pandemic in 2022, Elhazmi et al. used a machine learning (ML) method called decision tree (DT) to identify the predictors of 28-day ICU mortality in 1468 critically ill COVID-19 patients from 14 hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Their findings showed that a decision tree could be a useful tool to identify critically ill COVID-19 patients who were at high risk of 28-day ICU mortality. Nevertheless, future validation is still necessary, as nothing is worse than inaccurate results. More recently, in 2023, Kessler et al. sought to develop an AI model that predicted cardiovascular ICU readmission. They used the open-access Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-III) dataset to develop an AI modeling approach that was superior to ML approaches. So many useful tools can be attained from using AI in the ICU to improve patients' outcomes ­ reducing the length of stay, reducing mortality rates, improving turn-around time in ICU bed occupancy, and ensuring patient safety is prioritized. This would then translate to generating higher revenue and inflating more businesses for the hospital. Furthermore, Softarex Technologies agreed that ICU provides an ideal environment for the implementation of AI technologies because ICU generates a large volume of patient data, which is very useful in predictive analytics, faster rates being generated for prediction, alleviating workload demands to prevent burn-out of staffs and optimize patient care. A small controlled trial of 142 patients demonstrated that incorporation of AI technology into existing EHR-based sepsis identification systems was associated with decreased hospital length of stay and mortality reductions.The emergence of generative AI in healthcare has recently propelled the revolutionary advancement of AI technologies. Generative AI seems promising for Critical Care in systematically analyzing patients' data real-time and generating individual personalized reports in a robust manner. Some stellar examples of AI-powered healthcare solutions include Corti, Nuance, Hippocratic AI, Google Bard and Ellen AI. With so much being done around AI in Critical Care, what will be the future of Nursing?Nurses are the entire backbone of the healthcare industry. Without nurses, it is relatively impossible to run a healthcare facility. As AI is steadily seeping into the healthcare system and restructuring the architecture of Critical Care, nurses must know that the significance of soft skills in handling human beings can never be replaced nor underestimated. While AI's logic functions are governed by various codes, data and algorithms, human touch is forever irreplicable and irreplaceable. The ability to process emotions and maintain ethical practices can only be garnered by nurses who are physically attending to patients' AI AND NURSES IN CRITICAL CARE: WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF NURSING?Esther May Cheam Sue San, Senior Nurse Manager, Thomson Hospital Kota DamansaraByEsther May Cheam Sue San
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