An exciting future ahead
Looking ahead, AI has the potential to solve some of the biggest problems in health care in three key ways: reducing variability, reducing complications, and driving efficiency.
For example, in the future, AI may be able to track certain surgical techniques against patient outcomes in order to weed out inferior methods or approaches. AI might also be used to count the number of swabs used during a procedure and notify the surgeon if one is still in the body, which could be helpful in reducing litigation and reoperation costs long-term. Additionally, imagine if AI technology could grade procedures by level of complication to accurately determine how long a procedure will take. This capability could allow coordinators to adjust scheduling for theaters and patient preparations for the next surgery of the day in real time. This would save hospital systems money by reducing costly cancellations and staffing conflicts.
It’s truly thrilling to think about how far surgery has come thanks to technology, but even more so when considering the potential that still exists to transform training, technique, and patient care.
As everyone in the medical community ultimately shares the same goal — to deliver the best possible patient care — it’s incumbent on all of us to embrace innovations that can help accomplish that. I’m convinced digital tools like AI-powered surgical video recording platforms are one of them.
About the author: Dr. James Clark is a upper GI and bariatric surgeon, and specialty lead for surgery at Royal Cornwall Teaching Hospital NHS Trust in the United Kingdom.Back to HCB News
