The event took place as part of the ‘Future of Care’ cluster joint project funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space and offered experts from the fields of care, science, technology and society a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue on digital innovations in the care context. Prof. Karin Wolf-Ostermann from the IPP (Institute for Public Health and Nursing Research) took part as an expert on digitalisation and AI in nursing on 12 June in the ‘Salon discussion on the future of nursing: digitalisation in the service of people’.

The event was moderated by Prof. Dr Susanne Boll, Director of OFFIS e.V. The participants discussed key questions on the meaningful integration of digital technologies into everyday nursing care. The focus was on the question of how technological developments can make a concrete contribution to relieving the burden on carers - without losing sight of people. There was a consensus that digitalisation in care should not be an end in itself. Rather, it requires clear ethical guidelines and a technology design that is consistently orientated towards people. Discussions included the need for a possible ‘digital MOT’ for care applications, the sensitive handling of data protection and the teaching of digital skills in the care profession. The idea of new professional roles - such as technology mediators - was particularly emphasised as a potential interface between nursing practice and technological change. It became clear that sustainable care requires digital solutions that are developed together with users - in a participatory, practical and scientifically sound manner. The salon discussion provided important impetus for further project work and promoted interdisciplinary dialogue.