Purpose
This study examined the relationships among nurses’ readiness for artificial intelligence (AI), attitudes toward AI, and behavioral intention to use AI, focusing on clinical nurses in a tertiary hospital setting.
Methods
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using an online self-report survey of 218 clinical nurses recruited through convenience sampling from a tertiary hospital in South Korea. AI readiness was measured using the Medical Artificial Intelligence Readiness Scale, attitudes toward AI were assessed using the Korean version of the General Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence Scale, and behavioral intention was measured using items adapted from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. Open-ended responses were summarized descriptively to explore expected AI applications.
Results
Clinical nurses demonstrated varying levels of AI readiness, attitudes toward AI, and behavioral intention to use AI, and these variables were positively correlated. Among AI readiness dimensions, ability and ethics tended to show stronger bivariate correlations with behavioral intention than vision. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that attitudes toward AI were strongly associated with behavioral intention (β=.61, p<.001), whereas AI readiness factors showed weaker associations after attitudes were included. Open-ended responses suggested potential AI applications in both direct and indirect nursing care.
Conclusion
Attitudes toward AI were strongly associated with nurses’ behavioral intention to use AI. AI readiness dimensions, particularly ability and ethics, were also associated with behavioral intention in correlation analyses, underscoring the importance of practical competence and ethical awareness. These findings provide empirical evidence to inform AI-related education, clinical integration, and organizational support strategies in nursing.