Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Nov 18, 2024; 15(11): 1023-1035
Published online Nov 18, 2024. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i11.1023
Artificial intelligence awareness and perceptions among pediatric orthopedic surgeons: A cross-sectional observational study
Ammar K Alomran, Mohammed F Alomar, Ali A Akhdher, Ali R Al Qanber, Ahmad K Albik, Arwa Alumran, Ahmed H Abdulwahab
Ammar K Alomran, Department of Orthopedic, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Eastern, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed F Alomar, Ali A Akhdher, Ali R Al Qanber, Ahmad K Albik, Ahmed H Abdulwahab, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Eastern, Saudi Arabia
Arwa Alumran, Department of Health Information Management and Technology, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 34212, Eastern, Saudi Arabia
Co-corresponding authors: Ammar K Alomran and Mohammed F Alomar.
Author contributions: Alomran AK and Alomar MF contributed to conceiving and designing the study; Alomar MF, Albik AK, and Abdulwahab AH contributed to writing and reviewing the manuscript; Albik AK, Akhdher AA, Abdulwahab AH, and Al Qanber AR contributed to designing the survey and executing the study; Alumran A contributed to the statistical analyses and reviewing the manuscript; All authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, No. IRB-UGS-2023-01-530.
Informed consent statement: Participants were informed about the study’s purpose, methods, and voluntary nature, with the option to withdraw at any time. By voluntarily participating, informed consent was implied. No identifiers were collected, and the anonymity and confidentiality of participants were strictly maintained.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: Raw data and materials are available upon reasonable request to the Corresponding Author.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—a checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-a checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ammar K Alomran, MBBS, Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedic, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, 6719 King Faisal University City 64, Dammam 31441, Eastern, Saudi Arabia. aomran@iau.edu.sa
Received: June 10, 2024
Revised: September 6, 2024
Accepted: October 10, 2024
Published online: November 18, 2024
Processing time: 157 Days and 17.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that allows machines to analyze large datasets, learn from patterns, and perform tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence and supervision. It is an emerging tool in pediatric orthopedic surgery, with various promising applications. An evaluation of the current awareness and perceptions among pediatric orthopedic surgeons is necessary to facilitate AI utilization and highlight possible areas of concern.

AIM

To assess the awareness and perceptions of AI among pediatric orthopedic surgeons.

METHODS

This cross-sectional observational study was conducted using a structured questionnaire designed using QuestionPro online survey software to collect quantitative and qualitative data. One hundred and twenty-eight pediatric orthopedic surgeons affiliated with two groups: Pediatric Orthopedic Chapter of Saudi Orthopedics Association and Middle East Pediatric Orthopedic Society in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries were surveyed.

RESULTS

The pediatric orthopedic surgeons surveyed had a low level of familiarity with AI, with more than 60% of respondents rating themselves as being slightly familiar or not at all familiar. The most positively rated aspect of AI applications for pediatric orthopedic surgery was their ability to save time and enhance productivity, with 61.97% agreeing or strongly agreeing, and only 4.23% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing. Our participants also placed a high priority on patient privacy and data security, with over 90% rating them as quite important or highly important. Additional bivariate analyses suggested that physicians with a higher awareness of AI also have a more positive perception.

CONCLUSION

Our study highlights a lack of familiarity among pediatric orthopedic surgeons towards AI, and suggests a need for enhanced education and regulatory frameworks to ensure the safe adoption of AI.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Pediatric orthopedics; Surgeon awareness; Data security; Patient privacy; Healthcare technology; Medical education; Orthopedic surgery

Core Tip: This study highlights the significant gap in pediatric orthopedic surgeons’ familiarity with artificial intelligence (AI), and shows the need for improved AI education in healthcare. Our results also indicate a high willingness to adopt AI tools, and a positive attitude towards its integration into practice. Moreover, our findings emphasize the importance of patient data security, and point to the need for regulatory oversight over the integration of AI so that it can be implemented safely.