Copilot through the nursing process

The cycle

Assess, Plan, Implement, Evaluate — write and improve prompts using the same four stages you use in practice.

Where it helps

Organising and communicating — Copilot supports the paperwork, teaching and information around care, not the care itself.

Main safety rule

Ground and check — point Copilot to an approved source, add nothing it doesn't say, and verify every output.

The NCD Nursing Prompt Cycle

Write, check and improve Copilot prompts with the same four stages you use in practice. Each stage carries one theme of the NMC Code.

Stage	Code theme	What to do in your prompt
Assess	Prioritise people	Start with the need. Who is this for, what situation are they in and what matters to them? Name the audience: night staff, a family, second-year students, people who use easy read.
Plan	Practise effectively	Ground it in evidence. Point Copilot to the source it must use (an attached policy, a published NICE guideline, your own notes), tell it to add nothing the source doesn't say, and decide the shape: one page, a table, five slides, reading age 9.
Implement	Preserve safety	Set safe boundaries: no identifying information, no clinical decisions, and a checkpoint, so Copilot shows you a draft, its sources or its gaps before it finishes.
Evaluate	Promote professionalism and trust	Review the output as you would evaluate care. Is it accurate against the source? Compassionate, respectful and inclusive? Could it identify anyone? Fit to share? If not, refine and go round again.

Before and after

Before · Unstructured Prompt

“Write a leaflet about falls.”

After · NCD Nursing Prompt Cycle

“Using the attached falls prevention policy only, draft a one-page leaflet for older adults and their families on staying safe from falls at home after discharge. Plain English, reading age 9, warm tone, 'you' not 'the patient'. Add nothing the policy doesn't say. Show me a draft and list any points from the policy you left out.”

Copilot app by app

Copilot Chat

Good for: Explaining concepts, drafting from public guidelines, brainstorming teaching ideas.

Watch out for: Only knows what you give it plus the web — verify every clinical fact.

Outlook

Good for: Summarising long email threads, drafting replies, adjusting tone.

Watch out for: Emails often contain patient or staff details; check no action or concern was dropped.

Teams

Good for: Meeting recaps, action lists, catching up on non-confidential project chats.

Watch out for: Consent and disclosable transcripts. See Copilot in Teams meetings.

Word

Good for: Leaflets, policies, reports, polishing your own reflective writing.

Watch out for: Invented content not in the source document; reflections must remain genuinely yours.

Excel

Good for: Analysing de-identified audit data, building trackers, explaining formulas.

Watch out for: Small cell counts (<5) can re-identify people; verify all calculations.

PowerPoint & Forms

Good for: Turning approved policy documents into teaching slides or feedback surveys.

Watch out for: Check every slide for clinical accuracy and test survey questions with service users.

App	Good nursing uses	Watch out for
Copilot Chat	Explaining a concept, drafting from published material, brainstorming teaching ideas	It only knows what you give it, plus the web. Check every fact.
Outlook	Summarising long threads, drafting replies, adjusting tone	Emails often contain patient or staff details. Check the summary hasn't dropped an action or a concern.
Teams	Meeting recaps and actions, catching up on chats	Consent and record-keeping. See Copilot in Teams meetings.
Word	Leaflets, policies, reports, reflective accounts (your own words, polished)	Content not in the source. Reflections must remain yours.
Excel	Analysing de-identified audit data, building trackers, explaining formulas	Small numbers can identify people. Check calculations independently.
PowerPoint	Turning a document into teaching slides or a briefing	Images that misrepresent people or anatomy. Check every slide.
OneNote and Loop	Study notes, shared checklists, team pages	Shared pages are visible to others. No personal data.
Forms	Drafting survey and feedback questions	Leading or excluding questions. Test with the people the survey is for.

Mapping to the toolkit's nursing process

Copilot mostly supports the organising and communicating around care rather than the care itself:

• Assess: preparing questions and assessment templates, never assessing a real person
• Plan: drafting policy-based plans, pathways and patient information for you to personalise
• Implement: accessible information, handover tools and teaching materials
• Evaluate: de-identified audit analysis, reflection prompts and learning from incidents

See AI through the nursing process for the wider picture, and the Copilot prompt explorer for ready-made prompts.

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Quick self-check: The NCD Nursing Prompt Cycle

Quick Clinical Self-Check

In the NCD Nursing Prompt Cycle, why do we explicitly instruct Copilot during the Plan and Implement stages to 'use only the attached policy, add nothing it doesn't say, and list any points you left out'?