The Value of the Surgeon Informatician

Abstract

Clinical informatics is an interdisciplinary specialty that leverages big data, health information technologies, and the science of biomedical informatics within clinical environments to improve quality and outcomes in the increasingly complex and often siloed health care systems. Core competencies of clinical informatics primarily focus on clinical decision making and care process improvement, health information systems, and leadership and change management. Although the broad relevance of clinical informatics is apparent, this review focuses on its application and pertinence to the discipline of surgery, which is less well defined. In doing so, we hope to highlight the importance of the surgeon informatician. Topics covered include electronic health records, clinical decision support systems, computerized order entry, data analytics, clinical documentation, information architectures, implementation science, quality improvement, simulation, education, and telemedicine. The formal pathway for surgeons to become clinical informaticians is also discussed.

Structure and Funding of Clinical Informatics Fellowships: A National Survey of Program Directors

“…Stable funding is a necessity in an environment where the value of physician informaticians is not yet fully recognized. 20,21 Exceptionally trained physician informaticians have a distinct and important role to play with our allied health professional informatics colleagues. As health care institutions move toward value-based care and away from fee-for-service, our findings reflect a commensurate need for physician informaticians, which could manifest as changes to reimbursement models.…”

Building an Artificial Intelligence–Competent Surgical Workforce

“…All surgeons should be familiar with the core principles and primary applications of artificial intelligence in surgery; some should become experts. 3,4 The profession of surgery and its patients benefit from surgeon expertise in architectural engineering, basic science, biomedical engineering, business administration, economics, education, epidemiology, health services, informatics, law, public health, and more. Surgeons with expertise in artificial intelligence methods and applications are needed to lead its safe, effective clinical implementation in surgery.As innate leaders of multidisciplinary clinical teams, especially in the operating room, most surgeons have the organizational and group management skills necessary to lead the clinical implementation of artificial intelligence in surgery.…”

“…Surgeons with expertise in artificial intelligence methods and applications are needed to lead its safe, effective clinical implementation in surgery.As innate leaders of multidisciplinary clinical teams, especially in the operating room, most surgeons have the organizational and group management skills necessary to lead the clinical implementation of artificial intelligence in surgery. 3 In addition, surgeons inherently understand a bane of clinical informatics: uncertainty in clinical data. Values recorded in research databases or electronic health records are almost never accompanied by an indicator of uncertainty or the probability that the value is inaccurate.…”

“…Accountants who were late adopters of calculators failed to capitalize on potential gains in accuracy and efficiency; similarly, surgeons who are late adopters of artificial intelligence may forfeit potential gains in consistently providing high-value care. All surgeons should be familiar with the core principles and primary applications of artificial intelligence in surgery; some should become experts . The profession of surgery and its patients benefit from surgeon expertise in architectural engineering, basic science, biomedical engineering, business administration, economics, education, epidemiology, health services, informatics, law, public health, and more.…”

“…As innate leaders of multidisciplinary clinical teams, especially in the operating room, most surgeons have the organizational and group management skills necessary to lead the clinical implementation of artificial intelligence in surgery . In addition, surgeons inherently understand a bane of clinical informatics: uncertainty in clinical data.…”