Robot calls check on surgery patients – but are they as good as humans?

This study tested whether automated AI voice calls can effectively follow up with patients who had shoulder instability surgery. 310 adults who were at least 12 months past surgery received an AI phone call asking about their recovery. Some patients got a text message beforehand to see if it improved response rates. The study compared the AI's accuracy in capturing patient-reported outcomes against a blinded human reviewer. The goal was to see if this technology could save time and resources in routine follow-up.