For the first time in decades, nurses are not being asked to bend their workflows around new technology. In 2026, technology is finally bending toward nursing.

Across healthcare systems, tools like AI-assisted documentation, ambient listening, predictive analytics, smarter staffing platforms, and connected medication systems have moved from experimental pilots into daily operations. As these technologies scale, the defining question is no longer what they can do, but who they are designed for.

What Will Nursing Technology Look Like in 2026?

By 2026, nursing technology will focus less on novelty and more on alignment with real workflows. AI-assisted documentation, staffing platforms, and connected medication systems will be evaluated by how much time they return to nurses for patient care, clinical judgment, and leadership. Success will be measured not by adoption alone, but by trust, usability, and bedside impact.

Bethany Robertson, clinical executive at Wolters Kluwer Health, observes that transformative technologies once considered aspirational are now a reality. She predicts that leading organizations in 2026 will focus on building the infrastructure, training, and guidelines needed to facilitate, not hinder, nurses’ workflows.

Under continued pressure from workforce shortages and unbalanced patient ratios, she stresses that nurses must be involved in rollout and evaluation to ensure tools support real workflow challenges rather than reflect leadership decisions made without nursing input.

Building Trust in AI Starts With Nurses at the Table

That emphasis on trust is echoed by Ali Morin, chief nursing informatics officer at symplr, who sees 2026 as a turning point for clinician confidence in AI.

“In 2026, organizations must focus on building clinical trust in AI as a tool that strengthens and supports workflows,” Morin says, noting that 85% of clinicians want a voice in technology decisions. Addressing fear, setting expectations, and sharing real-world results will be essential so AI is seen as a burden-reducer, not an additional step or a replacement for human judgment.

When Technology Finally Starts Removing Friction

Kristine Shepherd, MSN, RN, Omnicell’s clinical nurse consultant, predicts a long-overdue shift from “technology-first” thinking to workflow-first design, particularly in medication management. She notes that many tools historically added steps rather than removing friction. By 2026, she expects connected, intelligent systems to reduce the manual inventory burden, improve visibility, and shorten the time to frontline teams.

“I think 2026 will be the year we start to see technology truly adapting to nurses’ demands instead of the other way around.”

Equity, Bias, and the Future of Patient Experience

Susan Grant, chief clinical officer at symplr, expands the conversation to equity and experience. She predicts AI and operations tools will increasingly identify underserved populations and social-determinant risks in real time if transparent governance and shared clinical-IT decision-making are in place.

“Nurses and other caregivers must be part of the design, testing, and refinement of algorithms,” she says, warning that without this involvement, bias risks persist.

Grant also sees technology reshaping patient experience, not through new digital touchpoints, but through restored presence. As automation removes administrative burden, patients will feel the difference through connection, listening, explanation, and meaningful communication. She believes the next evolution of patient experience will be defined by restoring the patient-clinician relationship.

How Automation Gives Nurses Back Their Most Valuable Resource: Time

From a workforce lens, Drew Wyatt, managing partner at Kaye/Bassman International Corp., says time, not talent, is nurses’ most limited resource. He predicts AI charting, smarter staffing tools, and workflow automation will give nurses back time for patient care and clinical decision-making. Nurses who lean into these systems, he says, will be better positioned for leadership, education, and emerging hybrid roles.

Takeaway: By the end of 2026, technology’s success will depend less on innovation and more on alignment with nursing workflows, nursing judgment, and nursing leadership.

Technology may finally be catching up, but it’s what nurses do with the time it gives back that matters most. In Part 2, we explore how nurses are reclaiming the human core of care, redefining practice settings, and building new models that restore meaning to the profession.

➡️ Read Part 2: Reclaiming the Human Core of Nursing