Introduction: The integration of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) into nursing education faces challenges in linking theory to clinical application in complex family health contexts. Students struggle with efficiently accessing, appraising, and applying evidence influenced by sociocultural factors. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential but requires pedagogical design to foster critical thinking and ethical use beyond technical skills.Method: An action research with mixed methods was conducted with 100 nursing students. The intervention had four phases: participatory family diagnosis, AI-assisted evidence retrieval and validation, community educational workshops design and execution, and multi-level evaluation.Results: A significant shift in AI use from basic to strategic, with a 40% reduction in literature search time. Qualitative data revealed enhanced critical awareness and ethical reasoning, while quantitative results indicated 90% of students improved critical appraisal skills and 70% felt more confident in evidence-based decisions. The project impacted 100 families, with 90% trusting evidence-based recommendations.Conclusions: Integrating AI in experiential pedagogies like Design Thinking and Service-Learning effectively develops nursing competencies, ensuring technology adoption supports context-sensitive family health learning outcomes.
BACKGROUND
The nursing process is a systematic, patient-centered framework essential for clinical reasoning and decision-making in nursing education. It is commonly operationalized through the ADPIE (Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation) model, which guides nurses in identifying patient needs, developing care plans, implementing interventions, and evaluating outcomes in a structured and iterative manner. Although the nursing process is fundamental to nursing education and practice, some students may experience difficulties in applying ADPIE effectively, particularly the aspects of clinical reasoning and reflective practice.
METHODS
This was a quasi-experimental study conducted to compare the effects of a Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)-assisted nursing process approach with traditional instruction on nursing students' evidence-based critical thinking, learning self-efficacy, and self-reported clinical reasoning. Moreover, the study integrated the intervention into a second-year nursing course (i.e., nursing process via obstetric nursing internship) as part of formal curriculum activities.
RESULTS
Students who participated in the GenAI-assisted nursing process approach demonstrated higher levels of evidence-based critical thinking, improved learning self-efficacy, and enhanced self-reported clinical reasoning ability compared with those in the traditional instruction group. The GenAI system provided adaptive feedback, real-time scaffolding, and iterative case refinement beyond traditional case-based learning.
CONCLUSIONS
Integrating GenAI into the ADPIE framework within nursing education may enhance students' critical thinking, learning self-efficacy, and self-reported clinical reasoning by supporting structured and reflective learning processes, offering a promising pedagogical approach for nursing education.
Embedding structural changes within assessment design, rather than relying on rule enforcement, will ensure nursing and midwifery graduates are prepared to thrive in an AI-enabled world.
Y. Salamonson, Pauletta Irwin, R. Kornhaber et al.· Journal of Clinical Nursing· 0 citations
Preliminary findings suggest AI-enhanced case-based platforms can engage students and support applied ethics learning but are best positioned to complement rather than replace traditional instruction.
L. Rankine, J. Van Bussel, S. Moodie et al.· medRxiv· 0 citations
Perceptions of both clinical facilitators and student nurses on how critical thinking can be enhanced using digital technology in clinical practice were surveyed to get perceptions of both clinical facilitators and student nurses on how critical thinking can be enhanced using digital technology.
E. Ngobeni, Agnes Makhene, Lerato Matshaka· Nursing Reports· 1 citation
The study underscores the importance of aligning theoretical instruction with clinical practice through stronger supervision, availability of clinical materials, and improved collaboration between training schools and clinical sites to enhance student competence and contribute to quality nursing care in Zambia.
Sarah Banda, Lonia Mwape, C. Ngoma· Texila international journal...· 0 citations
The findings suggest that concept mapping may be an effective learner-centered teaching strategy for strengthening critical thinking among undergraduate nursing students.
Barkha Devi, Champa Sharma, Shrijana Pradhan et al.· The Malaysian Journal of Nur...· 0 citations