*Urges Protection Of Patient Data
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The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), Dr Ndagi Alhassan, has warned nurses and nursing students against excessive reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI), stressing that technology cannot replace human compassion, critical thinking and sound clinical judgment in healthcare delivery.
Alhassan said that although AI could improve medical research, analyse healthcare data and support clinical decisions, nurses must not surrender their professional responsibilities to machines or allow technological advancement to undermine the human connection essential to patient care.
He gave the warning while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Undergraduate Nursing Research Challenge and Summit, organised by the Golden Lamp Leadership Initiative Africa at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
Speaking on the theme, “Minds and Machines: The New Frontier of Academic Research,” the NMCN Registrar urged nursing students to embrace technological innovation while maintaining professional ethics, independent reasoning and compassion for patients.
“Any algorithm can calculate, but it cannot care,” Alhassan declared, emphasising that the nursing profession must continue to place human welfare at the centre of healthcare delivery.
He explained that AI systems could analyse information, identify patterns and recommend interventions, but could not replace the experience, empathy and clinical judgment of a trained nurse.
According to him, nurses often identify subtle changes in patients’ conditions that may not immediately be reflected in medical equipment readings.
Using the example of a patient whose condition may be deteriorating despite normal readings on monitoring devices, Alhassan said careful human observation and timely intervention could make the difference between life and death.
He maintained that nursing professionals must remain attentive to patients rather than depend entirely on technological assessments.
“Research begins when a nurse observes something and refuses to look away,” he said.
The Registrar also recalled how his personal experience of being hospitalised for 31 days following burns in 1972 influenced his decision to pursue a career in nursing.
He explained that the experience helped him appreciate the importance of compassion, dedication and service in caring for patients.
Alhassan urged the students to recognise that the future of nursing would depend not merely on the availability of sophisticated technology but on the ability of professionals to use such tools responsibly.
“The frontier is open. It does not belong to the machines. It belongs to the minds that will lead them,” he stated, urging the students to “carry the lamp forward.”
Addressing the growing use of Artificial Intelligence in academic research, the NMCN Registrar warned that AI systems could produce fabricated references, inaccurate information and misleading research materials.
He advised nursing students and researchers to independently verify AI-generated content before incorporating it into academic publications or professional work.
He also cautioned against plagiarism, the fabrication of research findings and other unethical practices associated with the misuse of technology.
According to him, the Council would not tolerate academic dishonesty or unethical applications of AI in nursing education and professional practice.
Alhassan further raised concerns about patient confidentiality and the handling of sensitive medical information through AI platforms.
He warned nurses against uploading identifiable patient records or medical information into AI systems without appropriate safeguards to protect privacy and confidentiality.
“When in doubt, do not upload,” he cautioned.
The Registrar maintained that protecting patients’ personal information must remain a priority as healthcare institutions and professionals increasingly adopt digital technologies.
He also called for the development of locally relevant African research data to address possible biases in AI systems trained primarily on information that may not reflect the continent’s healthcare realities.
According to him, relying exclusively on research data generated outside Africa could produce recommendations that fail to adequately address the health needs and circumstances of African patients.
He urged nursing students to focus their research on practical healthcare challenges, verify information obtained through technological tools, disclose the use of AI transparently and publish their findings.
Alhassan also advocated intergenerational leadership within the nursing profession, encouraging experienced practitioners to provide opportunities for younger nurses to contribute innovative ideas and technological expertise.
He maintained that collaboration between experienced professionals and younger practitioners would strengthen nursing research and improve healthcare delivery.
Also speaking at the Summit, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Myqura, Abiola Ayilara, urged Nigerian nurses to move beyond being passive users of imported healthcare technologies and begin developing solutions tailored to local healthcare challenges.
Ayilara said nurses were well positioned to identify gaps in healthcare delivery because of their direct and regular interactions with patients.
She encouraged nursing students to transform challenges encountered during clinical practice into research questions capable of producing practical technological solutions.
“Nurses should be the ones creating the solutions for patients,” she said.
Ayilara maintained that AI should support healthcare professionals in making informed decisions rather than replace human clinical judgment or compassion.
She urged participants to develop innovations that address the realities of healthcare delivery in Nigeria and other African countries.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Dr Alice Ogundele, challenged nurses and nursing students to publish their research findings so that their work could contribute meaningfully to improvements in clinical practice and healthcare policy.
Ogundele expressed concern about the limited visibility of research conducted by Nigerian nurses, warning that valuable findings could have little practical impact if they were not published or made accessible to relevant stakeholders.
“If you don’t publish, it’s just as if you have done nothing,” she stated.
She urged students to avoid shortcuts in academic research and concentrate on investigating practical healthcare problems capable of producing evidence-based solutions.
The NMCN Chairman also emphasised the need for rigorous research that could improve patient care and influence healthcare decisions.
In her remarks, the Dean of the Faculty of Nursing, University of Ibadan, Professor Prisca Adejumo, who represented the Vice-Chancellor, encouraged nurses to embrace Artificial Intelligence without abandoning the compassion and human interaction central to their profession.
Adejumo explained that emerging technologies should strengthen clinical decision-making, improve healthcare research and enhance service delivery rather than diminish the human aspect of nursing.
She challenged participants to question existing assumptions, conduct rigorous research and build collaborations capable of generating reliable evidence for healthcare policies and professional practice.
“Together, we can shape a future in which technology amplifies, rather than diminishes, the heart of nursing,” she said.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Golden Lamp Leadership Initiative Africa, Oluyemisi Otitoloju, called for reforms in Nigeria’s nursing education curriculum to strengthen research training and promote evidence-based professional practice.
Otitoloju said the initiative had identified gaps in nursing education and had engaged lecturers and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria on possible improvements.
She explained that the programme was designed to make research more practical, accessible and engaging for nursing students, many of whom regarded academic research as overly theoretical.
According to her, strengthening research education would help students appreciate the relationship between scientific investigation and solutions to everyday healthcare challenges.
She also encouraged experienced nurses to mentor younger colleagues and help them develop the confidence and skills required to contribute to the profession.
Otitoloju urged nursing students to approach their future careers with a commitment to learning, innovation and service.
“Tomorrow, be a better nurse and inspire others,” she stated.
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