Johnson & Johnson Publishes New Future of Digital Surgery Report to Help Define the Emerging Field of Surgical Intelligence

Johnson & Johnson today announced the publication of its latest Future of Digital Surgery report, Surgery’s Next Inflection Point: The Rise of Surgical Intelligence, making the case that healthcare is entering a new era where connected data, artificial intelligence and intelligent systems will fundamentally reshape surgery. As the field rapidly evolves, the report introduces a common framework designed to help the healthcare community define, operationalize and responsibly scale surgical intelligence.

Modern operating rooms have become one of healthcare’s richest sources of multimodal data. Yet much of that information remains fragmented across devices, applications and institutions, limiting its ability to improve care beyond individual procedures. At the same time, healthcare systems face growing workforce shortages, increasing procedural complexity and mounting economic pressures. The convergence of AI, connected technologies and advanced computing presents an opportunity to transform surgical data into continuously improving clinical intelligence—but realizing that opportunity will require trusted governance, interoperability and collaboration across the broader surgical ecosystem.

“The future of surgery will be defined not only by breakthrough technologies, but by how effectively we connect data, insights and people across the surgical ecosystem,” said Shan Jegatheeswaran, President, Polyphonic, MedTech, Johnson & Johnson. “Surgical intelligence needs a shared definition, trusted infrastructure, and a practical path to scale.”

Surgical Intelligence: Turning Surgical Data into Clinical Insight

The report defines surgical intelligence as the clinical knowledge generated when multimodal data are connected across the perioperative pathway—from pre-operative planning to intra-operative execution and post-operative recovery—and analyzed to produce actionable insights supporting clinical decision making and operational performance.

Drawing on interviews with over 40 senior leaders across the surgical ecosystem, including clinicians, providers, technology leaders, policymakers, investors and payers, as well as a review of more than 100 academic, clinical and industry publications, the report examines both the promise of surgical intelligence and the challenges that must be addressed to realize its potential.

The Path Forward Requires More Than Technology

Among its key findings, the report concludes that the path to surgical intelligence depends as much on mindset as it does on technology. While advances in AI, computing and connected systems are accelerating what is possible, the ability to scale surgical intelligence will depend on whether the ecosystem can align around shared definitions, trusted governance models, interoperable data environments, sustainable economics and clinician-centered adoption.

The report concludes with a call to action for healthcare leaders across provider organizations, clinical communities, industry and government to work collaboratively to build the foundations necessary for responsible and scalable innovation. The authors argue that decisions made today around data sharing, governance, economics, and adoption will help determine whether the benefits of surgical intelligence remain localized or become broadly accessible across the global surgical community. Read the full report here.

About Surgical Solutions from Johnson & Johnson MedTech
Across Johnson & Johnson, we are tackling the world’s most complex and pervasive health challenges. For over 100 years, we have helped advance surgical care through our innovative portfolio across wound closure, adjunctive hemostats, surgical stapling and instruments, robotics and digital solutions. Together, with clinicians and healthcare experts around the world we are progressing what’s next in surgery to better solve patient needs in metabolic and cardiovascular disease, cancer, and aesthetics and reconstruction. For more, visit Johnson & Johnson MedTech.

About Johnson & Johnson
At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more about our MedTech sector’s global scale and deep expertise in cardiovascular, orthopaedics, surgery and vision solutions at https://www.jnjmedtech.com/en-US.