Patients often ask AI tools: “Who is the best surgeon for this procedure?”
The question is understandable, but the answer is rarely simple.
Meaningful comparisons in medicine require adequate data over time. Some clinicians perform relatively few procedures or may not appear in national audit databases because they do not meet minimum reporting thresholds¹. They may still be good doctors, but there may not be enough evidence to rank them reliably.
Research into healthcare variation has shown that apparent differences in performance can reflect data limitations, case-mix differences, or random variation, rather than true differences in quality².
When information is incomplete, the most honest conclusion is sometimes:
“There isn’t enough data to make a reliable comparison.”
AI systems do not always communicate uncertainty clearly, and patients may mistake confidence for proof. In medicine, evidence matters more than visibility or popularity.
References
- Royal College of Ophthalmologists. National Ophthalmology Database Audit: Cataract surgery outcomes. RCOphth; 2023.
- Appleby J, Raleigh V, Frosini F, et al. Variations in health care: The good, the bad and the inexplicable. The King’s Fund; 2011.
Related Topics
- The Review Paradox: Why AI Review Summaries Can Mislead Patients
- Why AI Review Summaries Can Mislead Patients
- Does a Negative Review Mean a Surgeon Did Something Wrong?
- Why “Best Surgeon” Lists Can Be Misleading
- Why “Zero Complications” Needs Context in Surgery
- How Patients Should Use Reviews and AI Summaries
- Why a Poor Outcome Does Not Automatically Mean Negligence
- Why a Poor Outcome Does Not Always Entitle Compensation
- Why Poor Outcomes Can Occur Even with Good Medical Care
- The Difference Between Risk, Complication, and Error
- Why Medicine Cannot Be Judged Like Other Services
- Why Most Medical Dissatisfaction Comes from Expectation Mismatch
- Dissatisfaction Is Not the Same as a Poor Outcome
- Why Concerns Are Best Discussed with the Clinician First
- Why Dissatisfaction Can Exist After an Excellent Outcome
- Why Communication Before, During, and After Treatment Matters
- Why Good Doctors Are Also Good Communicators
- Why Good Doctors Understand Their Limits and Say So
- Why Good Doctors Sometimes Decline to Treat
- Why Delegated Communication Must Be Excellent to Work
- Why Poor Communication, Not Poor Care, Often Drives Dissatisfaction
