Artificial intelligence designed to identify patients suitable for joint replacement surgery has the potential to significantly cut waiting times and improve surgical efficiency, new research from the University of Aberdeen suggests.

The study found that using the Aberdeen-led AI could help to ‘rapidly' and ‘accurately' identify patients that are suitable for hip replacement surgery.    

Dr Luke Farrow, clinical research fellow from the University of Aberdeen and study lead, said: ‘We identified that the radiologist's summary of x-ray findings can be successfully used to help predict which patients referred for consideration of hip replacement will go on to have surgery.'  

The research found that the AI needs to be trained according to the specific characteristics of the healthcare setting it is to be used in.  

Dr Farrow added: 'The effectiveness of the developed AI algorithm deteriorated significantly when faced with radiology reports from a different healthcare setting, indicating a need for further training on a wider, more diverse population.

'Further development is needed to ensure that the algorithm works better when applied to new healthcare settings, such as different NHS trusts. With any AI algorithm it is important to ensure that it functions effectively in the real world.'