Abstract:

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly influencing higher education, creating new opportunities for innovative teaching and learning approaches. In health professions education, AI tools may support the development of clinical reasoning, the creation of case-based learning activities and the design of interactive educational materials. These possibilities are particularly relevant in specialised fields such as perioperative nursing, where learning often relies on complex clinical scenarios and where access to advanced educational resources may be limited in some contexts. However, little is known about how postgraduate nursing students perceive the integration of AI in their clinical learning processes and its potential contribution to distance education models.

The aim of this study is to explore postgraduate perioperative nursing students’ perceptions regarding the potential of AI to support pedagogical design and clinical learning, as well as its possible contribution to distance education in settings with limited educational resources.

An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with postgraduate nursing students enrolled in a perioperative nursing training programme (n=17). Participants engaged with AI tools during a learning activity focused on the development and analysis of perioperative clinical scenarios designed to stimulate clinical reasoning and decision-making. Following this experience, two focus group discussions were conducted using a semi-structured guide to explore students’ experiences, perceived benefits, challenges and ethical considerations related to the use of AI in their learning process. The discussions were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.

Preliminary findings suggest that students perceive AI as a valuable tool to support clinical learning, particularly in supporting clinical reasoning, analysing perioperative scenarios and identifying appropriate nursing interventions. Participants also identified potential applications of AI in supporting distance education and expanding access to specialised training in contexts where educational resources and expert faculty are limited. Concerns were raised regarding information reliability, academic integrity and the need to preserve critical clinical reasoning.

This study provides insights into how AI may support innovative pedagogical strategies in perioperative nursing education and highlights its potential contribution to expanding access to specialised nursing education through distance learning approaches in low-resource settings.

Keywords:

Artificial Intelligence in Education, Nursing Education, Perioperative Nursing, Technology-Enhanced Learning, Distance Learning.