Main image courtesy of Orlando Neurosurgery. 

It’s no secret that artificial intelligence is continuing to make itself known in all kinds of medical fields. It can assist those in the healthcare industry with a variety of tasks, including using natural language processing to transcribe notes of patients’ encounters, streamlining medical coding and billing, and even assisting with the monitoring of patients post surgery. The specialized field of neurosurgery is also experiencing an influx of AI assistance, but the question posed is will AI replace neurosurgeons? In this article we’ll be covering:

• Where you might find AI in neurosurgery
• Whether or not AI can ever replace neurosurgeons
• The medical fields where AI can assist the most

Although AI is met with hesitation and trepidation by some clinicians, it already has a strong foothold in the medical community and its presence will only continue to expand. There are a lot of fears that AI will replace humans in medical jobs, and while this may be true to some extent, it is more nuanced than that. 

Where do you find AI in neurosurgery?

How is AI already assisting neurosurgeons?

AI has been assisting with all kinds of surgeries since the 1980s, with the assistance of robots and computers that augment the skill of the surgeon. However when it comes to neurosurgery, the advancements of the past couple of years have transformed how neurosurgeons can diagnose and care for their patients with the help of AI. 

Diagnostics and early detection

Although they are qualified to perform neurosurgery, neurosurgeons can also treat their patients with a variety of other plans. Surgery is often a last resort, since their speciality deals with the essential parts of the nervous system—the brain, spine, and nerves. Treatment plans can also include medications and other therapies, but in order to know what they’re up against, neurosurgeons will first need a diagnosis. 

AI can be used as a fail safe check when it comes to reading charts, images, scans, and x-rays. Using machine learning, AI has the capability to scan and review thousands of diagnostics in order to learn what is normal, and detect when something is not right. Neurologists can use an AI program to review their patients’ diagnostics in order to double check their analysis in case something has been missed.

If something is caught earlier, the better it can be for the patient. AI can also review the patient’s medical information and compare it to the likelihood that something malignant might occur using predictive analysis. This early detection means that the neurosurgeon can start treating the patient with more minimally invasive options. 

Customized care plans

Neurosurgeons also use AI to create customized care plans for patients. Using AI to digest the patient’s medical documentation and weigh it against a variety of treatment plans can help the clinician decide whether or not one course of treatment has a better likelihood of success than another. Everyone responds to treatment differently, which is why it’s essential that neurosurgeons have options when it comes to creating a plan that works for each patient.

Surgical assistance and increased precision

AI can also assist neurosurgeons during their surgical procedures. These surgeons are highly specialized, experienced, and well-trained, but they can still benefit from assistance from AI technology. Having an AI application that can learn from huge amounts of surgical information and videos means that it can stay one step ahead of the neurosurgeon. This allows the AI to monitor the process, and even make suggestions as the surgery progresses. Because the neurosurgeon has the AI to double check the outcomes of every step, it can increase their precision so that they’re only working on what has been decided to be the most beneficial course of action.

Planning and navigation

Tied very closely to increasing precision is how AI can help with planning the type of surgery and navigating it in real time. From reviewing the possible outcomes of the surgery, to helping the surgeon stay on the best possible route, AI can assist a neurosurgeon throughout the surgical procedure. 

Monitoring patients post-surgery

AI can monitor the patient’s response in real time as the surgery progresses. It can use the information sent back to it from the patient to help the surgery team stay informed and keep the patient stable. Post-surgery patients also need to be closely monitored to ensure they are stable and have responded well to the surgery. AI can use the patient’s medical data and the condition they’re being treated for to help the neurosurgeon decide what form of medication or therapy would be most helpful to the patient so they can recover faster. 

Ways to improve and continuing education

One of the best parts about using AI in neurosurgery is that it can constantly learn and improve. Allowing it access to surgical and patient data can help it predict what treatments would benefit a particular patient the most. It can also learn how to keep improving early diagnosis and lay out the best surgical plans possible. 

AI can also assist neurosurgeons through virtual training that allows them to practice and improve their skills and precision. The AI can provide them with feedback on areas they excel at and where they can use more improvement, benefiting patients.

Will AI replace neurosurgeons?

Is it possible for AI technology to ever replace neurosurgeons?

AI has made significant advances in the field of neurosurgery, and as we listed above, it can be a game changer when it comes to early diagnosis, surgical assistance, and patient monitoring. So will AI replace neurosurgeons at some point in time? Experts believe that this is not going to be the case, and for a variety of different reasons.

• Healthcare requires a human touch. There is no denying that AI can greatly help clinicians in all types of healthcare fields. However, it is not meant to replace the relationship between provider and patient. There are all kinds of factors that play into what treatments and plans of care a neurosurgeon will choose for their patients, and that’s not something that should be left entirely for an algorithm to decide. 

Neurosurgeons know their patients, and they can take into account a variety of variables when it comes to making a decision about their care. Yes, AI can assist the neurosurgeon by providing a list of potential therapies or treatments that could yield beneficial results, but it’s up to the human surgeon in the end to discern what their training and experience tells them will give the patient the best results.

• The ethical implications. The ethical implications of completely leaving major decisions about a patient’s care to AI are very real and they are something that clinicians and AI developers will have to agree on moving forward. AI is meant to augment the human surgeon, giving them access to data and best case scenarios based on predictive analysis. It seems unethical to leave the decision regarding surgery and other forms of treatment to AI. This is especially true when a mistake is made—who is responsible, the AI developers, the manufacturers, or the surgeon? 

Much of the ethical landscape of AI in a field like neurosurgery is still being played out, and entrusting life-saving surgery to an AI system doesn’t seem likely.

• Technology isn’t there.  In addition to the ethical dilemma, there’s the simple fact that the AI tech simply doesn’t have that kind of capability yet. The type of sophisticated AI that can take over the intricate duties of a neurosurgeon aren’t available to hospitals even if they wanted them. As AI technology continues to develop, you can expect to see more involvement in patient care and treatment, but not replacing neurosurgeons anytime soon.

• The potential for bias. Another issue that arises when we’re considering whether or not AI can ever replace neurosurgeons is that there is always the potential for bias. The AI can only learn on the data it reads, and if that data contains bias, the machine will learn to accept those biases and make decisions and predictions based on fallible information. The biggest issue with AI learning from biased data is that it can lead to unequal care, and suggest treatment options that might not yield the best results for patients.

• Over-reliance is not a good idea. Neurosurgeons have years of education, training, and experience behind them, and can use all of this to make the best judgment call they can for the health of a patient. While AI can assist them with making this, relying solely on AI is not in the foreseeable future. Human discernment is always required when you’re talking about the health and treatment of a patient. 

Yes, AI can help neurosurgeons continue to train and get better with their skills through virtual training, but it cannot replace their knowledge and judgment calls.

• The surgical support staff is needed. There are plenty of tasks during pre and post operation that an AI application cannot do. The surgical support team is essential to any successful surgery, as they are responsible for disinfecting, sterilizing, and monitoring the patient. Surgical support staff can use AI to help monitor the patient during surgery, but having a human there to make judgment calls if issues arise is crucial.

Will neurology be replaced by AI?

Another medical field that provides diagnoses and treatment plans for conditions and injuries to the brain, spinal cord, and nerves is neurology. Neurologists do not specialize in surgery, however they often consult with neurosurgeons if surgery is an option for a patient. Like neurosurgeons, AI can provide assistance to neurologists in the form of improving early detection of problems, improved diagnostic analysis, predictive treatment, and better medical devices. These improvements can go a long way in creating better personalized care for patients, but AI cannot replace the expertise and judgment of a human neurologist.

AI is designed to assist neurosurgeons and neurologists so they can make more accurate diagnoses and create treatment plans for issues with the brain and spinal cord that will bring the most benefit to each patient. An AI application can never fully replace what neurologists (and neurosurgeons) do, but they can provide assistance in a variety of ways.

What medical specialties are most likely to be replaced by AI?

AI can augment human healthcare specialists in all kinds of fields, and while there may be a reduction in the amount of these specialists needed, AI won’t fully replace humans. There are, however, some fields that may experience a reduction in numbers because they tend to be image intensive:

• Radiology
• Pathology
• Dermatology

AI can scan images in these fields quickly, in vast numbers, and with greater accuracy than a human. Once the AI finds anomalies, it can be brought to the attention of a human specialist. 

How can AI assist your medical practice?

Even if you’re in another healthcare field besides neurosurgery, there are plenty of ways that AI can help streamline your practice. Whether you want to give clinicians more time with patients and reduce the hours they spend on notes, or you want to ensure that the patients’ journey is fully automated, you can’t go wrong with an AI ambient scribe. Why not choose the best with Playback Health?