Report launched to guide the safe use of AI for surgeons
The Royal College of Surgeons have launched a report to guide the safe, ethical and effective integration of AI across surgical practice in Ireland.
The report, titled Artificial Intelligence and Digital Surgery, was developed by an RCSI working group to set out how AI will transform the future of surgical care, training, and the overall patient experience.
The RCSI say that this highlights the potential for AI to enhance diagnostic accuracy, improve surgical precision and enable personalised patient care. As well as this, it addresses challenges such as patient safety, governance, regulation, bias, and workforce readiness.
The reports emphasise a need for clinical leadership, robust governance structures and investment in training to ensure doctors are equipped to work in a digitally enables healthcare environment.
Professor Deborah McNamara, President of the RCSI, said: “Artificial intelligence and digital technologies are advancing at an unprecedented pace and are set to fundamentally reshape the delivery of surgical care, the training of our workforce and the experience of patients. This report provides a clear and balanced roadmap, embracing innovation while ensuring patient safety, ethical practice and the continued central role of the surgeon in clinical decision-making.”
The report highlights how AI can support surgeons through earlier diagnosis and post operative monitoring, utilising hospital-at-home styles of care.
Although the report also outlines that AI must be deployed as a support tool rather than a replacement for expertise.
Professor Micheál Ó Ríordáin, Chair of the Working Group on AI and Digital Surgery, said: “Artificial intelligence and digital technologies have the potential to significantly enhance the quality, efficiency and accessibility of surgical care. They should be seen as tools to augment the surgeon’s role, enabling better diagnosis, more precise treatments and more streamlined care pathways. However, their implementation must be carefully governed to ensure they are safe, trustworthy, transparent and aligned with the needs of patients.”