Remote Monitoring and Artificial Intelligence: Outlook for 2050

Remote monitoring and artificial intelligence will become common and intertwined in anesthesiology by 2050. In the intraoperative period, technology will lead to the development of integrated monitoring systems that will integrate multiple data streams and allow anesthesiologists to track patients more effectively. This will free up anesthesiologists to focus on more complex tasks, such as managing risk and making value-based decisions. This will also enable the continued integration of remote monitoring and control towers having profound effects on coverage and practice models. In the PACU and ICU, the technology will lead to the development of early warning systems that can identify patients who are at risk of complications, enabling early interventions and more proactive care. The integration of augmented reality will allow for better integration of diverse types of data and better decision-making. Postoperatively, the proliferation of wearable devices that can monitor patient vital signs and track their progress will allow patients to be discharged from the hospital sooner and receive care at home. This will require increased use of telemedicine, which will allow patients to consult with doctors remotely. All of these advances will require changes to legal and regulatory frameworks that will enable new workflows that are different from those familiar to today's providers.