Survey Explores AI Education in Vascular Surgery
Amun Hofmann from Klinik Ottakring, Vienna, discusses his survey on the current state of AI education for vascular surgeons with Vascular News. He emphasizes that the focus is not whether to offer AI training, but rather how, when, and by whom it should be implemented and funded.
Growing Interest in AI in Vascular Surgery
Hofmann notes that AI is currently a major topic in the field. Vascular surgeons show particular interest in AI applications such as outcome prediction models and image recognition technologies, with a rising number of related research papers being published.
Challenges of AI Integration
“The question is less about should we offer AI [artificial intelligence] education for vascular surgeons—I think most would agree that this will become necessary—and more about how and when it should be implemented, who should fund it, and who should offer it. These are all questions where nobody really has an answer.”
He stresses the importance of understanding current attitudes towards AI education and its perceived necessity among vascular surgeons. Due to AI's novelty, there is no established framework guiding this integration.
“There’s no blueprint for what we’re doing right now.”
The survey aims to map these sentiments to better inform the future design of educational programs in AI for the vascular surgery community.
Author's summary: Amun Hofmann’s survey highlights the urgent need to clarify how and when AI training should be integrated into vascular surgery, reflecting the field’s growing engagement with AI technologies.