Theatre efficiency
AI in theatres: will it set the world on fire?
Efficiency is still a human endeavour, maintains Dr. Ankur Mukherjee – a Consultant Urological and Robotic Surgeon, at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. Speaking at AfPP’s Cambridge Regional Conference, he warned that artificial intelligence must improve safety for everyone – not just productivity metrics. Human oversight will be vital.
The Association for Perioperative Practice’s latest regional conference took place at the Møller Institute, University of Cambridge – providing practical insights to enhance patient safety, quality, and teamwork in the operating theatre. One of the topics that was high on the agenda was the role of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) in improving theatre efficiency. While AI and smart technologies have the potential to drive improvement, delegates were reminded of the vital role that humans must have as “guardians” of the technology.
A surgeon’s perspective Dr. Ankur Mukherjee, a Consultant Urological and Robotic Surgeon, explored how AI is transforming operating theatres – by supporting clinical decision making, as well as enhancing workflow optimisation and resource utilisation within complex operating environments. He emphasised that AI is no longer ‘innovation’; it’s part of the infrastructure. “It is part of how we are working now and
how we are going to be working more efficiently in the future, but it is still very much a human endeavour,” he commented. According to Dr. Mukherjee, theatre efficiency
is not just about speed – it’s about reliability, safe care and self-care: “It’s looking after the team, predictable systems, and maximising the patient value within that. The central theme that lies within all of this is the patient,” he commented.
He pointed out that surgery is becoming
more precise, as we are using a greater degree of technology and robotic systems: “At times, we may not feel in complete control, but we need to make sure we utilise the technology properly and in an ethical way,” he asserted. By 2033, there will be huge growth in
procedures across the surgical spectrum, and we must have the tools to deliver this, he warned. Nevertheless, the technology is “not a replacement, but “an enabler”, he pointed out.
A new kind of fire? Dr. Mukherjee used the analogy of the myth of the Greek god Zeus and Prometheus, to highlight the philosophical challenges around
Ultimately, humanity is holding a new kind of fire and deciding whether it will light the future or burn it down. What is it going to be? It’s a philosophical argument, but it comes back to what we do in terms of technology and how we’re advancing as a society.
AI: “Prometheus loved making clay figures of humans. Zeus loved Prometheus, but told him to ‘never give humans fire’. ‘If you give them fire, they will rule over us, and we will become extinct as Greek gods’, Zeus warned. But Prometheus, being Prometheus (there is a bit of Prometheus in all of us), ignored the warning and gave them fire. That spark created, in essence, a sense of humanity and human spirit, and the human species grew more and more. What underpins this myth is the technology or tools we have. We have to use them carefully and mindfully... “Ultimately, humanity is holding a new kind
of fire and deciding whether it will light the future or burn it down. What is it going to be? It’s a philosophical argument, but it comes back to what we do in terms of technology and how we’re advancing as a society.”
The five pillars of efficiency He explained that AI can integrate effectively into the surgical pathway – pre-operatively, perioperatively and post-operatively – to support the five pillars of theatre efficiency. These pillars help to improve the perioperative pathway and make it more stable and sustainable. They include:
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