Objective
To investigate the academic use of artificial intelligence (AI) in nursing.
Background
A bibliometric analysis combined with the VOSviewer software quantification method has been utilized for a literature analysis. In recent years, this approach has attracted the interest of scholars in various research fields. Thus far, there is no publication using bibliometric analysis combined with the VOSviewer software to analyse the applications of AI in nursing.
Method
A bibliometric analysis methodology was used to search for relevant articles published between 1984 and March 2022. Six databases, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL, WoS and MEDLINE, were included to identify relevant studies, and data such as the year of publication, journals, country, institutional source, field and keywords were analysed.
Results
Most relevant articles were published from institutions in the United States. The League of European Research Universities has published most research studies that use AI and nursing. Scholars have mainly focused on nursing, medical informatics, computer science AI, healthcare sciences services and physics particles fields. Commonly used keywords were machine learning, care, AI, natural language processing, prediction and nurse.
Conclusion
Research articles were mainly published in Nurse Education Today. Research topics such as AI‐assisted medical recording and medical decision making were also identified. According to this study, AI in nursing has the potential to attract more attention from researchers and nursing managers. Additional high‐quality research beyond the scope of medical education, as well as on cross‐domain collaboration, is warranted to explore the acceptability and effective implementation of AI technologies.
Implications for Nursing Management
This study provides scholars and nursing managers with structured information regarding the use of AI in nursing based on scientific and technological developments across different fields and institutions. The application of AI can improve nursing management, nursing quality, safety management and team communication, as well as encourage future international collaboration.