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Cooper is among the first institutions nationwide pioneering the industry’s first commercially available AI clinical assistant for nursing.<\/strong><\/p>\n (CAMDEN, NJ) Cooper Norcross Health today announced that it is the first hospital in New Jersey \u2014 and among a select group of\u00a0 institutions nationwide \u2014 implementing Microsoft Dragon Copilot for its nursing workforce. Cooper Norcross University Hospital is currently piloting the technology, which is the first commercially available AI clinical assistant designed specifically for nursing workflows.<\/p>\n Nurses nationwide face significant workplace demands, with documentation and administrative tasks accounting for more than a quarter of each shift and reducing time available for direct patient care. Dragon Copilot changes that equation. As a nurse cares for a patient, the AI clinical assistant “listens\u201d to the nurse-patient interaction \u2014 spoken observations, assessments, and clinical conversation \u2014 and intelligently transforms it into structured flowsheet documentation within the electronic health record. The nurse reviews, edits, and approves every entry before it is filed, keeping clinical judgment firmly in the nurse’s hands while eliminating much of the manual charting that follows every encounter.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>\u201cNurses are at their best when they can focus fully on their patients,\u201d said Kathy Devine, DrNP, RN, NEA-BC, senior vice president and chief nursing executive for Cooper Norcross Health. \u201cThis technology supports that goal by reducing time spent on documentation and helping nurses remain more present at the bedside. By allowing nurses to speak naturally during care and review AI-generated documentation before it is filed, Dragon Copilot helps protect clinical judgment while giving nurses more time for meaningful patient interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClinical technology should simplify care, not add steps,\u201d said Snehal Gandhi, MD, chief medical information officer (CMIO) at Cooper Norcross Health. \u201cAmbient AI has already helped physicians and advanced practice providers streamline documentation in the office and expanding it to inpatient nursing offers significant opportunity. This solution was developed with frontline nurses, works within existing tools, and keeps nurses in control by requiring their review and approval before documentation is filed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>How it works<\/strong><\/p>\n Using a mobile device already integrated into the nursing workflow, nurses begin an ambient recording during routine patient care. Dragon Copilot securely listens in the background, extracts clinically relevant details, and automatically drafts structured flowsheet entries \u2014 vital signs, assessments, and other required documentation. Nurses can pause a recording to preview what’s been captured, make edits for accuracy, and then review and file the final documentation in the electronic health record (EHR). Patient consent is obtained before any ambient recording, in accordance with Cooper’s privacy policies.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Key benefits that Cooper Norcross Health is evaluating during the pilot:<\/p>\n Microsoft developed the nursing capabilities of Dragon Copilot through a multiyear collaboration with nurse leaders and frontline nursing staff at health systems across the country \u2014 an approach that aligns with Cooper’s own philosophy of designing technology with, not just for, the clinicians who use it. The nursing workflows in Dragon Copilot continue to expand, with growing capabilities and support for additional care settings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The pilot builds on Cooper’s broader enterprise AI strategy, led by the health system’s Center for Digital Innovation, which already includes more than 1,300 Dragon Copilot licenses supporting ambient documentation for physicians and advanced practice providers. Cooper will evaluate documentation time savings, accuracy, and nurse satisfaction on the pilot unit to guide expansion across additional units and both hospital campuses.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n