Fields of nursing
- Nurses
- Students
- Educators
Maternity, neonatal and family care
Keep records separate — information about the woman or birthing person and the baby must stay accurate and distinct.
Listen first — inequalities in outcomes are stark, and AI summaries can flatten concerns families raised, such as reduced movements.
No clinical decisions — fetal monitoring, neonatal observations, feeding and dosing must never be decided with general AI tools.
This page is for nurses working in maternity, neonatal and family settings, alongside midwives and the wider team. Care here involves at least two people, often more. It covers some of the most sensitive information in health care, and outcomes are marked by persistent inequalities.
Where AI can help
Information for families
Plain-language and translated-draft information on feeding, newborn care and neonatal unit routines, from approved sources and checked by qualified staff.
Supporting neonatal parents
Drafting welcome packs, glossaries and "what to expect" guides for families on the neonatal unit.
Staff learning & simulation
Simulated conversations, for example with anxious parents, and structured revision.
Where the risks are higher
| Risk | Why it matters here |
|---|---|
| Inequalities | Black women were more than twice as likely as White women to die during or up to six weeks after pregnancy in 2021 to 2023 (MBRRACE-UK, 2025). AI built on historical data could reproduce such gaps. See Equity and AI. |
| Sensitive information | Pregnancy, pregnancy loss, termination, domestic abuse and safeguarding information needs the highest protection. Keep it out of general AI tools entirely. |
| Two or more patients | Records and summaries must keep information about the woman or birthing person and the baby accurate and separate. |
| Being listened to | Women and families have repeatedly reported not being listened to. AI summaries can flatten concerns that were raised, such as reduced movements or "something feels wrong". Record them in the person's words. |
| Clinical decisions | Fetal monitoring interpretation, neonatal observations and feeding or dosing decisions must never be made with general AI tools. |
Looking through the lenses
Person-centred practice
Does the record show the concerns the woman or family raised, in their own words?
Ways of knowing
Whose experiences might this information or tool overlook? That's emancipatory knowing.
Novice to expert
Do I know when to escalate a family's concern, whatever a tool or summary says?
Try it
I'm a neonatal nurse. Draft a short, warm welcome guide for parents whose baby has
just been admitted to the neonatal unit: what they'll see, who the team are, how they
can be involved in care, and where to get support. Plain English, no medical advice.
List anything I should check against our unit's own information.
In a postnatal or neonatal setting, an AI-drafted summary condenses a mother's repeated concern that 'the baby feels lethargic and something isn't right' into 'Maternal anxiety noted; reassured.' Why is this dangerous?