Global study of clinicians by Elsevier finds nurses being left out of clinical AI adoption

Launched on International Nurses Day, Elsevier's Clinician of the Future 2026 report finds progress is at risk due to uneven adoption across clinician groups, detailed in the first-ever Clinician of the Future 2026: Nurses Edition

NEW YORK, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Elsevier's Clinician of the Future 2026 report reveals emerging gaps in AI adoption, especially for clinician-specific solutions. In particular, nurses report feeling underrepresented both in AI use and in organizational decision-making around AI.

Now in its fifth year, the global survey drew responses from 2,757 clinicians across 118 countries, including physicians and nurses.

Main Report Key Findings:

Survey respondents across geographies say they are stretched thin. While clinicians are turning to AI, implementation is falling short and some feel excluded from the process. Clinicians are not always turning to the right tools, with an over-reliance on non-clinical AI tools that lack sufficient evidence-based sources. 

Nurse representation gap is stark:

• 41% of nurses say their views are rarely or never reflected in AI decision-making
• Just 19% of physicians feel nurses' views are not reflected.

Time remains the biggest constraint:

• 61% are seeing more patients and 56% are struggling to keep up with medical and tech advances.

Cases are getting more complex:

• Of those lacking sufficient time to provide good care, 53% report rising patient complexity - an area where clinical-specific, evidence-based AI tools are designed to help.

AI use is often not fit for purpose:

• 49% use AI at work (up 23 percentage points on 2024), but only a third of that group regularly use clinical-specific tools that provide validated, sourced information
• When not using clinical-specific tools, clinicians rely instead on publicly available, general AI tools that are consistently rated lower for reliability, authoritativeness and safety.

Strong belief in AI's importance:

• 80% say AI will become a critical assistant within the next decade, and nearly as many (79%) believe AI skills will be essential for clinician training.

But barriers are slowing adoption:

• 68% report insufficient AI training, and 60% lack confidence in AI governance and oversight - raising concerns about trust and reliability.

Jan Herzhoff, President of Elsevier Health, said: "At a time when healthcare systems are under increasing pressure, clinicians see clear potential for AI to improve patient care and efficiency. However, realizing that potential requires more than access - it demands trusted, evidence-based tools, proper training, and inclusive implementation that supports all members of the care team."

Nurse-specific findings from Clinician of the Future 2026: Nurses Edition

In this inaugural Nurses Edition, findings show some notable differences between doctors and nurses on the topic of AI. Nurses are not utilizing AI as much as doctors, one of many findings and trends revealed in our report:

Nurse AI Usage lags significantly behind physicians:

• 41% of nurses use AI regularly vs. 57% of physicians
• Of these, 30% regularly use clinician-specific AI tools vs. 37% of physicians

But optimism is higher among nurses:

• 61% believe AI will improve care quality in 5 to 10 years vs. 55% of physicians
• 59% say AI will improve patient outcomes in the next 2 to 3 years vs. 53% of physicians
• 46% believe AI enhances their autonomy vs. 37% of physicians

Inclusion shapes perception:

• Fewer nurses (55%) than physicians (70%) believe AI will save them time in the next 2 to 3 years – this is likely caused by a lack of new AI tools developed for nurses, or they consider current AI tools as not benefiting them in their current role

Amy Hall, Professor and Dean at the School of Nursing at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, said: "AI has the potential to make a real difference in how we deliver care, but there is a clear lack of AI tools designed specifically with nurses in mind. Nurses need a stronger voice in which tools are adopted to support patients and how they are implemented. When nurses aren't included in AI decisions, it's harder to integrate these technologies into everyday practice in ways that truly support patients and workflows."

Some important points doctors and nurses overwhelmingly agree on:

• Both doctors and nurses overwhelmingly agree that AI will not replace clinicians but instead will be a critical assistant for point of care and clinical decision support
• Over 60% say answers provided with transparent citations of high quality, evidence-based and peer-reviewed research will increase trust in AI.

Elsevier's Clinician of the Future 2026 findings show clinicians are clear on what is needed. As AI becomes embedded in clinical practice, trusted evidence-based tools designed for and used by the whole care team will enable clinicians to advance patient care with confidence.

To learn more and access the full Clinician of the Future 2026 report and Nurses Edition, visit here.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global leader in advanced information and decision support. For over a century, we have been helping advance science and healthcare to advance human progress. We support academic and corporate research communities, doctors, nurses, future healthcare professionals and educators across 170 countries in their vital work.  We do this by delivering mission-critical insights and innovative solutions that combine trusted, evidence-based scientific and medical content with cutting-edge AI technologies to help impact makers achieve better outcomes. We champion inclusion and sustainability by embedding these values into our products and culture, working with the communities that we serve. The Elsevier Foundation supports research and health partnerships around the world.

Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.elsevier.com and follow us on social media @elsevierconnect. 

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