Best Clinical AI Tools for Surgery

The 'culture of surgery' has historically been one of apprenticeship and pattern recognition rather than explicit evidence consultation. But this is changing rapidly, driven by quality metrics, malpractice awareness, and the growing complexity of perioperative medicine. A 2020 study in JAMA Surgery found that surgical complications were reduced by 22% in hospitals that implemented standardized, evidence-based perioperative protocols — the kind of protocols that CDS tools can deliver at the point of care. Preoperative assessment is where CDS tools provide the clearest value to surgeons. The American College of Surgeons NSQIP surgical risk calculator uses 21 patient variables to predict the probability of 14 different postoperative complications — a calculation no surgeon can perform mentally. Cardiac risk stratification using the Revised Cardiac Risk Index determines whether a patient needs further cardiac workup before elective surgery. Caprini scoring for VTE risk determines the duration and type of postoperative thromboprophylaxis. These validated tools reduce variation in care and protect against the cognitive biases that can arise when a surgeon is eager to proceed with a case. Antibiotic prophylaxis represents another critical CDS application in surgery. The Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) measures require appropriate antibiotic selection, timing (within 60 minutes of incision), and duration (discontinuation within 24 hours for most procedures). CDS tools that integrate these protocols into the perioperative workflow help maintain compliance with quality metrics that affect hospital accreditation and reimbursement.