How can AI contribute to neurosurgical training? This is what a recent study published in JAMA Surgery hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how AI can improve brain surgeon training. This study has the potential to help medical professionals better understand the benefits of AI in healthcare, specifically for surgery.
For the study, the researchers recruited 88 medical students to evaluate how AI tutoring can improve surgical performance compared to intelligent tutoring. Ultimately, 87 medical students were used for the final analysis, which were split into 3 groups of 30, 29, and 28 each, consisting of 46 (53%) women and 41 (47%) men with an average age of 22.7. Group 1 was the control group where students had an intelligent instructor, group 2 received expert feedback through the intelligent tutor, and group 3 received an AI tutor. In the end, the researchers found group 3 performed the best, specifically regarding injury and risk.
“AI is not replacing educators—it’s empowering them,” said Dr. Rolando Del Maestro, who is a William Feindel Professor Emeritus in Neuro-Oncology at McGill University and a co-author on the study. “By merging AI’s analytical power with the critical guidance of experienced instructors, we are moving closer to creating the “Intelligent Operating Room” of the future capable of assessing and training learners while minimizing errors during human surgical procedures.”
This study comes as the use of AI for surgeries is increasing, including diagnosis applications, postoperative care, surgical planning, risk assessment, improved image analysis, augmented reality and virtual reality simulation, and remote monitoring. Therefore, studies like this can help improve using AI in healthcare with positive outcomes.
How will AI help improve brain surgery training in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: JAMA Surgery, EurekAlert!
Featured Image: A VR simulator of neurosurgery (Credit: The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital))
