Purpose
This study analyzed the methodological characteristics of machine learning (ML) applications in nursing research, evaluated their reporting quality against standardized guidelines, and assessed progress toward clinical implementation. Methods: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review (PROSPERO CRD42024595877) searched nine English- and Korean-language databases through September 27, 2024. Included studies applied ML to a nursing question and had at least one nursing-affiliated author. Two reviewers independently extracted data following the Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM) framework. Reporting quality was appraised using the TRIPOD+AI checklist. Results: Of 125 included studies, supervised learning predominated (93.6%), with random forest, logistic regression, and support vector machines as common algorithms. The most frequent performance metrics were the area under the receiver operating curve and accuracy. Mean TRIPOD+AI compliance was 50.4% (standard deviation=9.37), with reporting quality lowest for data preparation (48.0%) and class imbalance handling (22.4%). Research focused on predicting pressure injuries, falls, and readmissions. Only seven studies described clinical deployment, often citing ethical or workflow barriers. Conclusion: While ML studies in nursing are increasing and show strong discriminatory accuracy, their impact is limited by inconsistent reporting, limited external validation, and rare clinical deployment. Translating these algorithms into practice requires adopting comprehensive reporting guidelines like TRIPOD+AI, documenting each CRISP-DM phase, and integrating nurse-centered decision-support pathways.

Purpose
The purposes of this study were to develop a prediction model for pressure injury using a machine learning algorithm and to integrate it into clinical practice.
Methods
This was a retrospective study of tertiary hospitals in Seoul, Korea. It analyzed patients in 12 departments where many pressure injuries occurred, including 8 general wards and 4 intensive care units from January 2018 to May 2022. In total, 182 variables were included in the model development. A pressure injury prediction model was developed using the gradient boosting algorithm, logistic regression, and decision tree methods, and it was compared to the Braden scale.
Results
Among the 1,389,660 general ward cases, there were 451 cases of pressure injuries, and among 139,897 intensive care unit cases, there were 297 cases of pressure injuries. Among the tested prediction models, the gradient boosting algorithm showed the highest predictive performance. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the gradient boosting algorithm's pressure injury prediction model in the general ward and intensive care unit was 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.83~0.89) and 0.83 (95% confidence interval, 0.79~0.87), respectively. This model was integrated into the electronic health record system to show each patient's probability for pressure injury occurrence, and the risk factors calculated every hour.
Conclusion
The prediction model developed using the gradient boosting algorithm exhibited higher performance than the Braden scale. A clinical decision support system that automatically assesses pressure injury risk allows nurses to focus on patients at high risk for pressure injuries without increasing their workload.

Citations

• Machine Learning Applications in Nursing-Affiliated Research: A Systematic Review
  Eun Joo Kim, Seong Kwang Kim
  Korean Journal of Adult Nursing.2025; 37(3): 189.     CrossRef