Doctors in Shanghai can now choose between two training pathways to attain AI-assisted surgery certification, allowing them to perform advanced surgical procedures.
The city’s first official programme for AI-assisted surgery has finished, with its initial group of 18 doctors soon to receive official certification from the city.
Launched in August, the programme was overseen by the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission and organised by Shanghai Changhai Hospital, The Paper reported.
It combines theory, simulation, live-animal surgeries using AI surgical tools, and clinical practice.
Trainees learn to operate robotic systems and embed AI into clinical practice, including patient management. The hospital has mentored three cohorts so far. The second cohort, which began in November, expanded the programme from one specialty (urology) to four, adding obstetrics and gynaecology, hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery, and colorectal surgery. The third cohort was welcomed last month.
Trainees can select between two training pathways. The first is an assessment route for physicians with previous robotic surgery experience but without official certification.
After passing a skills assessment that includes a professional Q&A and a live animal surgery evaluation overseen by the municipal health commission, they receive official certification – authorising them to perform AI-assisted surgeries in future.
The second is a systematic training route for physicians with no or insufficient experience to sit for the assessment directly. These candidates complete a six-month foundational program and receive the same certification upon successful completion.
According to You Xiaohua, director of the Clinical Teaching Training Centre at Shanghai Changhai Hospital, the certification has attracted interest from both young doctors and senior specialists, mainly in urology, obstetrics and gynaecology, and gastrointestinal surgery – fields that often utilise robotic surgery.
You told domestic media that the certification functions as ‘like a work permit’. It means the Shanghai health commission has recognised (a doctor’s) robotic surgery skills. The city is now aiming to expand its AI-assisted surgical training bases.
