Effectiveness Of A Structured Educational Program On Enhancing Nurses' Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Artificial Intelligence In Clinical Settings

Abstract

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming healthcare, yet nurses often lack the knowledge and positive attitudes needed to integrate AI effectively into clinical practice. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of a structured educational intervention on nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward AI.  Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in four teaching hospitals in Al-Najaf Governorate, Iraq. A total of 150 nurses were recruited using nonprobability convenience sampling and were equally allocated to the intervention (n = 75) and control (n = 75) groups, with baseline comparability confirmed prior to the intervention. Nurses in both groups completed a self-administered questionnaire at baseline and at post-intervention.  Results: Before the intervention, the study group demonstrated predominantly moderate (56.00%) and poor (42.67%) knowledge, with only 1.33% achieving a good level (mean score = 0.37- 0.17). Following the educational program, knowledge improved markedly, with 98.67% of intervention group nurses classified at the good level. All nurses in both intervention groups demonstrated positive overall attitudes towards AI at both measurement points (100% classified as positive), while the control group showed no meaningful change in either outcome. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that the structured educational program significantly improved nursing's knowledge of and attitudes towards artificial intelligence in clinical settings. Healthcare institutions should prioritize the integration of AI education into mandatory continuing professional development curricula for nurses, thereby supporting safe, effective, and ethically grounded AI adoption in healthcare. Policymakers and nursing leaders should develop standardized, validated AI competency frameworks to guide nursing workforce development in the context of digital health transformation. This study provides evidence regarding the sustainability of educational impact and offers practical guidelines for AI adoption within nursing practice.