Mayo Clinic's Ambient Nursing Documentation: A Game-Changer for Nursing Practice
- Cheristi Cognetta-Rieke, vice chair for nursing at Mayo Clinic, will co-present at the 2026 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exposition about the Ambient Nursing Documentation Initiative.
- This technology was built for nurses, by nurses, and not adapted from traditional physician-focused documentation tools.
- Design methodology makes them partners in the technology and not just end-stage testers and users.
The Ambient Nursing Documentation initiative is a voice-based AI system that captures nurse-patient conversations and automatically converts them into structured electronic health record documentation. What makes this initiative highly innovative is that it was built for nurses, by nurses - not adapted from physician-focused tools.
Cheristi Cognetta-Rieke, DNP, RN, Mayo Clinic's vice chair for nursing, will co-present an education session titled "Ambient Nursing Documentation Tool Built for Nurses, By Nurses" with Kathleen Helms, senior administrator of clinical informatics and practice support at the Mayo Clinic. The session will occur at the 2026 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exposition in March.
"When nurses are positioned to shape decisions, challenge outdated workflows and help define success, technology adoption becomes more credible, more effective and more aligned with patient needs," she said. "Innovation stops being a department or silo and becomes a nursing mindset embedded in daily practice."
The Innovation Behind the Technology
The technology leverages voice-based artificial intelligence to:
- Capture natural conversations between nurses and patients
- Automatically translate these interactions into discrete, structured documentation
- Integrate seamlessly with existing electronic health record systems
- Support nursing workflows rather than forcing adaptation to physician-centered models
Why Nurse-Led Design Is Critical
This technology emphasizes that nurses must be co-creators, not just end users, regarding healthcare technology. Historically, digital tools for healthcare use have been designed around physician documentation models and later retrofitted for nursing use.
The issue is that nursing work differs significantly from physician work; yet, this distinction has been largely overlooked in traditional technology development.
"This distinction is critical right now as healthcare organizations continue to grapple with burnout, documentation burden and several digital tools often disconnected from the realities of nursing practice," Cognetta Rieke said.
Design Philosophy and Principles
The development team asked the most important question from the start: "What do nurses need to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care?" rather than "What can artificial intelligence do?"
Key design principles included:
- Nurse-centered workflow integration from ideation through implementation
- Co-design methodology with nurses as embedded partners, not end-stage testers
- Support for conversational, patient-centered care rather than task-heavy documentation
- Validation by actual nursing practitioners throughout the development process
Transformational Outcomes for Nursing Practice
This initiative repositions nurses as:
- System thinkers and innovators, rather than passive technology recipients
- Decision-makers and workflow challengers who drive meaningful change
- Co-creators of sustainable digital transformation in healthcare
Implications for the Nursing Profession
The Mayo Clinic model demonstrates that when nurses actively shape technology decisions and challenge outdated workflows, the results are more credible, effective, and sustainable. This approach transforms innovation from a separate organizational function into a nursing mindset embedded in daily practice.
This breakthrough represents more than just technological advancement - it's a recognition that nurses must be inventors and co-creators of the tools they use daily. The success of this initiative suggests that when technology is designed around actual nursing workflows and needs, it can truly enhance rather than burden nursing practice.
Cheristi Cognetta-Rieke's session, "Ambient Nursing Documentation Tool Built for Nurses, By Nurses," is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in Palazzo N/Level 5 at HIMSS26 in Las Vegas.
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