This month, the Oregon House of Representatives gave its blessing to House Bill 2748, which mandates that the title “nurse” can only be used exclusively for human beings who practice nursing—in other words, artificial intelligence (AI) systems cannot use the term “nurse.” Lawmakers introduced the bill after concerns that AI chatbot “nurses” could mislead patients. The bill now moves to the Oregon Senate. “As AI adoption grows in medical practice, there will be greater implications on how patient-facing AI services are branded,” says Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of JUCM.
Who’s who? In general, state laws govern use of the terms “nurse” and “doctor,” which could mean that a medical professional with a doctorate in nursing cannot call themselves “doctor.” Longstanding pushback between physicians and advanced practice or nursing professionals has lawmakers wrestling with the best approach. Ayers says states like Indiana and Georgia specifically limit the “doctor” title to licensed physicians only.