Surgeons’ perspectives on artificial intelligence to support clinical decision-making in trauma and emergency contexts: results from an international survey
Lorenzo Cobianchi, Daniele Piccolo, Francesca Dal Mas, Vanni Agnoletti, Luca Ansaloni, Jeremy A. Balch, Walter Biffl, Giovanni Butturini, Fausto Catena, Federico Coccolini, Stefano Denicolai, Belinda De Simone, Isabella Frigerio, Paola Fugazzola, Gian Luigi Marseglia, Giuseppe Roberto Marseglia, Jacopo Martellucci, Mirko Modenese, Pietro Previtali, Federico Ruta, Alessandro Venturi, Haytham M.A. Kaafarani, Tyler J. Loftus, Team Dynamics Study Group, Kenneth L. Abbott, Abubaker Abdelmalik, Nebyou Seyoum Abebe, Fikri M. Abu‐Zidan, Yousif Abdallah Yousif Adam, Harissou Adamou, Dmitry Mikhailovich Adamovich, Ferdinando Agresta, Antonino Agrusa, Emrah Akın, M Alessiani, Henrique Alexandrino, Syed Muhammad Ali, Vasilescu Alin Mihai, Pedro Miguel Almeida, Mohammed Mohammed Al-Shehari, Michele Altomare, Francesco Amico, Michele Ammendola, Jacopo Andreuccetti, Εlissavet Anestiadou, Peter Angelos, Alfredo Annicchiarico, Amedeo Antonelli, Daniel Aparicio-Sanchez, Antonella Ardito, Giulio Argenio, Catherine Claude Arvieux, Ingolf Askevold, Boyko Atanasov, Goran Augustin, Selmy Awad, Giulia Bacchiocchi, Carlo Bagnoli, Hany Bahouth, Efstratia Baili, Lovenish Bains, Gian Luca Baiocchi, Miklosh Bala, Carmen Balagué, Dimitrios Balalis, Edoardo Baldini, oussama Baraket, Suman Baral, Mirko Barone, Alberto Gonzãlez Barranquero, Jorge Arturo Barreras, Gary Alan Bass, Zülfü Bayhan, Giovanni Bellanova, Offir Ben‐Ishay, Fabrizio Bert, Valentina Bianchi, Helena Biancuzzi, Chiara Bidoli, Raluca Bievel Radulescu, Mark Brian Bignell, Alan Biloslavo, Daniele Bissacco, Roberto Bini, Paolo Boati, Guillaume Boddaert, Branko Bogdanić, Cristina Bombardini, Luigi Bonavina, L Bonomo, Andrea Bottari, Konstantinos Bouliaris, Gioia Brachini, Antonio Brillantino, Giuseppe Brisinda, Maloni Mamada Bulanauca, Luis Antonio Buonomo, Jakob Burcharth, Salvatore Buscemi, Francesca Calabretto
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining traction in medicine and surgery. AI-based applications can offer tools to examine high-volume data to inform predictive analytics that supports complex decision-making processes. Time-sensitive trauma and emergency contexts are often challenging. The study aims to investigate trauma and emergency surgeons' knowledge and perception of using AI-based tools in clinical decision-making processes. METHODS: An online survey grounded on literature regarding AI-enabled surgical decision-making aids was created by a multidisciplinary committee and endorsed by the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES). The survey was advertised to 917 WSES members through the society's website and Twitter profile. RESULTS: 650 surgeons from 71 countries in five continents participated in the survey. Results depict the presence of technology enthusiasts and skeptics and surgeons' preference toward more classical decision-making aids like clinical guidelines, traditional training, and the support of their multidisciplinary colleagues. A lack of knowledge about several AI-related aspects emerges and is associated with mistrust. DISCUSSION: The trauma and emergency surgical community is divided into those who firmly believe in the potential of AI and those who do not understand or trust AI-enabled surgical decision-making aids. Academic societies and surgical training programs should promote a foundational, working knowledge of clinical AI.