The impact of nursing students’ biomedical and artificial intelligence ethical awareness, ethical values, and professional self-concept on their ethical decision-making confidence

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between nursing students’ biomedical and artificial intelligence (AI) ethical awareness, ethical values, professional self-concept, and ethical decision-making confidence, and to then identify factors that can influence their ethical decision-making confidence.Methods: This study employed a descriptive research method and was conducted from June 8 to 12, 2023, with 204 students from three nursing colleges in Korea. The collected data were analyzed by frequency and percentage, independent t-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple regression using IBM SPSS 23.0.Results: The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that the regression model was significant (F=18.88, <i>p</i><.001) and that professional self-concept (β=.46, <i>p</i><.001), ethics education (β=.23, <i>p</i><.001), AI ethical awareness (β=.16, <i>p</i>=.020), and relativistic ethical values (β=.14, <i>p</i>=.035) explained 34.6% of the nursing students’ ethical decision-making confidence.Conclusion: It is necessary to include professional self-concept, AI ethical awareness, and ethical values contents when constructing the curriculums of educational programs in order to improve nursing students’ ethical decision-making confidence.