West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health is piloting an artificial intelligence tool to detect surgical site infections earlier, according to Chief Medical and Quality Officer Andy Anderson, MD.
The health system is developing an AI tool with New Brunswick, N.J.-based Rutgers University, its academic partner, as part of a research study.
The system is using cameras in its operating rooms, powered by AI-based software, to monitor surgical procedures. The AI technology assesses surgeons’ wound closure techniques and wound size, among other parameters. Once discharged, patients use their phones to capture and submit images of their surgical sites through an app for further observation.
The goal is to identify early signs of infection, allowing for prompt treatment and better outcomes. Insights from the OR cameras will also be used to give surgeons valuable feedback about surgical techniques, supporting broader coaching and quality improvement efforts, which could help reduce SSIs overall.
“We want to use AI to help make work easier for our doctors and nurses and [to achieve] better outcomes for patients,” Dr. Anderson told Becker’s. “That’s the ‘why’ behind all of this.”
The project is currently in its pilot phase, so initial results are not yet available. Dr. Anderson said the goal is to expand the effort into a multisite research study involving several institutions that could inform broader practices around SSIs.
