Aims: To systematically review the current application status of ChatGPT in nursing and explore its application effects.
Design: An integrative review.
Methods: Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, two researchers summarised the selected literature and conducted a quality appraisal, followed by narrative synthesis.
Data sources: PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus were searched from January 2022 to June 2024.
Results: A total of 31 papers met the inclusion criteria. Fifteen empirical studies were rated as grade 5, while five were rated as grade 4. The references of a minireview were not recently published and lacked ChatGPT-related articles, and a systematic review was of low quality. The review focused on three main topics: (1) The subsidiary role of ChatGPT in nursing; (2) Comparison of different models' effectiveness and (3) Existing challenges.
Conclusions: While adopting new technologies such as ChatGPT, it is important to maintain a balanced perspective on both its benefits and limitations. Nursing professionals must actively address these deficiencies and explore solutions to improve ChatGPT's utility in the field.
Implications to the profession and patient care: This review synthesised evidence on ChatGPT's application and highlighted existing challenges in nursing. Nursing researchers, educators and practitioners can further validate these findings to explore its potential in various aspects of nursing practice.
Impact: For researchers, ChatGPT can enhance language quality and summarise findings effectively, but adherence to research standards is crucial. For educators, ChatGPT can serve as an effective information source for students, though caution should be taken to avoid overreliance. For practitioners, ChatGPT can offer useful suggestions for clinical practice, but these should be critically evaluated and not followed blindly, as issues of inaccuracy must be addressed.
Reporting method: This review adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
Patient or public contribution: No patient or public contribution.