This study is designed to examine how artificial intelligence (AI) could be applied to support surgical care in Sudan during the ongoing armed conflict. The conflict has disrupted hospital operations, displaced surgical teams, and limited access to specialists and modern technology. The investigators are conducting a survey of Sudanese surgeons working in public, private, military, and conflict-zone hospitals to assess awareness of AI, interest in its application, and perceived challenges. In addition, in-depth interviews with senior surgeons and residents are being performed to further explore perspectives on AI in surgical care.

This study represents one of the first attempts to investigate the role of AI in surgery within an active conflict setting in Africa. Findings from this research are expected to inform the design of AI tools that are tailored for fragile health systems, including offline and low-bandwidth environments.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Sudanese general surgery residents or consultants.
• Currently working in public, private, military, NGO, or conflict-zone hospitals within Sudan.
• Able to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Surgeons working outside Sudan.
• Non-surgical medical specialties.
• Inability or unwillingness to complete the survey or participate in interviews.

General surgery residents and consultants practicing in Sudan during the ongoing armed conflict, representing public, private, military, NGO, and conflict-zone hospitals across multiple regions. Participants include surgeons at various training levels, from early-year residents to senior consultants.

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared because the dataset contains sensitive information collected from healthcare professionals working in conflict-affected regions. Sharing could risk identification of participants despite anonymization, given the small and specialized population.