What is it about?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to play a bigger role in surgery, from helping doctors plan operations to spotting problems during procedures. These technologies have the potential to make surgery safer, quicker, and more effective. However, most hospitals are not yet using AI in everyday practice. One of the biggest reasons is not the technology itself, but how it is managed. AI can make mistakes, sometimes in ways that are hard to detect, and if it is not carefully overseen it could put patients at risk. To use AI safely, hospitals need clear rules and strong leadership. This means creating committees to check and monitor AI systems, training staff in how to use them, and being open with patients when AI is involved in their care. Good governance ensures that AI becomes a helpful partner to surgeons, improving patient outcomes without compromising safety or trust.
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Why is it important?
This article is important because it highlights a critical gap between innovation and governance in healthcare. While artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing and already showing benefits in surgery, most hospitals are not prepared to use it safely and responsibly. Without strong governance, AI risks introducing bias, unsafe recommendations, and even new types of medical errors that may go unnoticed until patients are harmed. The article emphasises that technology alone is not enough. Successful adoption depends on leadership, oversight, and ethical frameworks that protect patients while enabling innovation. It calls on hospital boards, executives, and surgical leaders to act now, creating policies, training, and transparency measures so AI becomes a trusted support tool rather than a source of risk. By stressing governance as the foundation for safe innovation, this article provides healthcare leaders with a timely and practical message: AI can transform surgery, but only if matched by equally strong leadership and accountability.
Perspectives
As a Consultant Peripheral Nerve Surgeon, I see both the extraordinary potential and the real risks of AI in surgical practice. My work often involves complex, high-stakes decisions where even small errors can have lifelong consequences for patients. AI could help by improving diagnosis, guiding surgical planning, and supporting follow-up care. But unless governance frameworks keep pace with innovation, there is a danger that algorithms could influence decisions in ways that are unsafe, biased, or poorly understood by clinicians and patients alike. This article is important because it argues that we cannot separate innovation from responsibility. Safe AI adoption requires leadership, oversight, and transparency. From my clinical perspective, the operating theatre is not the place for untested or poorly governed tools. Patients trust us with their outcomes, and it is our duty to ensure that any new technology, especially one as powerful as AI, is introduced under the same rigour and accountability as any surgical technique.
Ashley Simpson
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Artificial intelligence in surgery: governance must match innovation, British Journal of Healthcare Management, September 2025, Mark Allen Group,
DOI: 10.12968/bjhc.2025.0067.
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