Surgeons Share Insights on AI in Medicine

The April edition of the Bulletin features three articles on the growing application of artificial intelligence (AI) in surgery.

For Optimal Outcomes, Surgeons Should Tap into “Collective Surgical Consciousness”

In an arena where the smallest bit of data can change the course of an operation—and ultimately have a huge impact on patient outcomes—surgeons are taking a cue from medical imaging’s advancements in AI to glean all the information they can get.

In this feature article, surgeons and radiologists share their thoughts on how AI is reshaping the information that care teams and patients have access to before making major medical decisions. From using discriminative AI to aid in diagnosing conditions to AI-assisted surgery, the domains of surgery and medical imaging have much to share and improve with one another.

In addition, surgeons shared their personal thoughts in two viewpoint articles:

Artificial Intelligence: The Future Is Now

In this viewpoint, James Elsey, MD, FACS, a professor of surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and Past-Vice-Chair of the ACS Board of Regents, breaks down the impact that the current AI revolution may have on the world around us.

“Like atomic energy, we have created forces that can serve or damage us greatly,” he said.

Artificial Intelligence: The Future Is What We Make It

Members of the ACS Health Information Technology Committee respond to Dr. Elsey's insights on AI in healthcare, stating that the “proper adoption and risk mitigation” of such technologies will require a concerted effort from multiple stakeholders, including governmental agencies, academic institutions, and professional societies like the ACS.

Read these and other articles in the April Bulletin.