I BUILDING MTS
The Founder's Desk
Every platform begins with a problem, inspiration, and an attempt at resolution. Skipping the expected and natural acclimation every doctor must experience when working in a national health service, and taking notice of the costs in working memory and the dedicated time sink required to overcome inefficient technical systems and arduous workflows, highlighted the principal problems. In the UK, clinical time loss can manifest as queues for vetting scans, filling out long forms to enlist patients for MDTs, duplicative work for multi-specialist referrals, among others. This real time sink crucially results in a loss of quality patient contact time, a loss of clinical development, and a loss of professional opportunities and overall potential, to keep it brief. The question was, therefore, using the resources at hand, how are we as clinicians attempting to counteract ineffective systems? Could the solution be hidden, disenfranchised among us?
MTS was developed as a simple attempt to bridge a clinical information and systems gap, disseminating original content directly from the source to the source.
II TECHNOLOGY & MEDICINE
This Month in MedTech
AI & DIAGNOSTICS
When the Chatbot Claims to Be Your Doctor
Pennsylvania has sued Character.AI after an investigator posing as a patient was told by an AI chatbot it was licensed to practise medicine, alongside fabricated credentials. Many countries, including the UK have yet to create the necessary legal frameworks to protect patients in this regard. The salient questions remain on ensuring patient safety, and who is responsible when AI brings patients to harm?
REGULATION IN AI
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency UK (MHRA)
According to the MHRA:
Medical Device Rules: If an AI tool is used for medical purposes, it is treated as a medical device and must meet strict safety and performance standards.
Approval Process: Low-risk devices can be certified by the manufacturer. Medium-risk and high-risk devices are checked by independent bodies before they are allowed on the market. In Great Britain, the MHRA oversees this process. Northern Ireland follows EU rules.
Data Privacy: Patient data must be kept safe and used properly. There are laws to protect personal information and make sure everyone involved agrees on how data is shared and protected.
❝According to the MHRA, nearly 1 in 10 people now use AI-powered chatbots to get health advice.
Could preventative patient education be a solution to potential complications?
III FROM THE EDITIONS
Across the Specialties
The standout moment from each MedTechScope digest this month.
THE SURGICAL DIARY
Surgical Meshes
Incarcerated vs strangulated hernias, the importance of differentiation. Surgical meshes, including important use cases, complications and more.
ACUTE MEDICINE DIGEST
Status Epilepticus
Understanding beyond first-line seizure management algorithms. When does refractory status epilepticus meet the third-line treatment threshold? And more.
IV FEATURE
People Worth Knowing
This month, Professor Derek O Reilly PhD FRCS presented at the Innovation Symposium with the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI) international conference in Brighton.
Professor Derek O Reilly PhD FRCS
Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic (HPB) Surgeon, Chair of Surgery United Family Healthcare, Beijing
Prior to his current role, Professor O Reilly served as a senior consultant surgeon at Manchester Royal Infirmary. He was the clinical Director for Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancer, Greater Manchester Cancer Network, from 2014-2021, as well as being a member of the clinical guidelines committee for the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Professor O Reilly also served as the surgical lead for the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcomes and Death (NCEPOD) 2014-16.
Having more than 30 years experience as a surgeon, Professor O'Reilly reflects on his adoption of cutting edge technology in surgery. A long surgical career positions him as a first-hand witness to development, offering a first-hand perspective on AI's real-world impact in the operating theatre. With advancements now allowing for specialised and limited usage of AI tools; an example being an AI model trained on mapping high risk fields in HPB surgery, which means practically, being able to superimpose coloured visual fields of 'safe' and 'non-safe' regions. This is demonstrable use of technology being able to perceive anatomy which the human eye is unable to. This mapping technology has been trained to reduce the risk of iatrogenic gall bladder duct injury, a rare complication of cholecystectomies. Whilst the argument for iterative adoption of tools like AI, as with any other tool in surgery, is to improve patient operative outcomes; this should still be in line with maintaining robust standards for surgical training, experience and wide clinical trial data to support wide implementation.
Whilst the clinical audience noted concerns ranging from systemic, operational and mechanical failures, the unanswered question was regarding the future role of doctors in the age of advanced AI. Professor O'Reilly acknowledged the risk of potential loss of doctors' skill generalisability; especially in the theory of doctors serving only as supervisors of automated robotic surgery in the future. Regardless, that eventually stands unknown presently. With the conclusion, as with any scientific paper, that robust trials are needed in the first instance to evidence the benefit of these modern tools.
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