Clinical Evaluation of AI Decision Support for Early Rehabilitation After Surgery

Patients who undergo gastrointestinal or oncology surgery often require careful monitoring after their operation. During the days following surgery, healthcare professionals assess many factors, such as vital signs, laboratory results, recovery progress, and the need for hospital-based treatments. Based on this information, decisions are made about when patients can safely start early rehabilitation or move toward discharge planning.

In this study, researchers are evaluating an artificial intelligence (AI)-based decision support tool designed to assist clinicians with these decisions. The tool analyzes routinely collected information from the electronic patient record, including demographic data, type of surgery, vital signs, laboratory values, and medication information. Using these data, the system provides a simple yes/no output indicating whether a patient is likely ready for early rehabilitation and discharge planning on the second day after surgery.

The AI tool is advisory only. It does not make treatment decisions and cannot initiate any actions. The treating physician always reviews the patient's condition independently and makes the final decision about care, rehabilitation, and discharge planning.

The study focuses on two main aspects:

• How accurately the AI tool identifies patients who are ready for early rehabilitation and discharge planning.
• How the tool can be safely and practically integrated into everyday clinical workflows.

Participation in this study does not change the standard of care. All patients continue to receive routine postoperative care according to existing hospital protocols. The AI tool serves solely as an additional source of information for clinicians.

Patient data used by the AI system are processed within secure hospital systems and handled in accordance with data protection regulations. No additional tests or procedures are required specifically for this study.

The results of this study may help improve postoperative care by supporting timely rehabilitation and discharge planning, potentially reducing unnecessary hospital stays while maintaining patient safety.

Inclusion criteria

• Adults aged 18 years or older
• Undergoing gastrointestinal or oncological surgery
• Postoperatively admitted to the surgical ward
• Expected to remain admitted for at least 2 days after surgery

Exclusion criteria

• Admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at the time of prediction on postoperative day 2
• Inability to provide informed consent in Dutch or English