Should every medical student receive exposure to robotic surgery?

Excerpt

Over the past two decades, robotic surgery, which was once considered a new-fangled, futuristic technology, has become one of the cornerstones of many surgical operations, and is continuing to increase in its applicability and use. If a simple internet news search for “robotic surgery” is done, provocative headlines pop up including “Who’s holding the knife? Growing numbers of surgeons expected to use robotic tools [1]” and “Invasion of the Body Crawlers aka Robotic Surgery [2].” Fields such as urology and gynecology have seen exponential increases in the use of robots for commonly performed procedures, and many surgeons are finding new ways to utilize the technology in performing more complex operations. Patients are also inquiring about robotic surgery with greater frequency, although it has been shown that both patients and most physicians still lack a general understanding of the pros and cons of robotic surgery. A recent survey of 110 surgical patients at a community hospital found that the general perception of patients toward robotic surgery when compared to laparoscopy was that it was associated with decreased infection rate, decreased operative time, decreased blood loss, smaller incisions, similar or shortened length of stay, and fewer complications. In the same study, the investigators found no published evidence to support these perceptions of the benefits of robotics compared to laparoscopic surgery [3]. Despite this, robotic surgery is here to stay, as it does offer benefits in specific cases, and as the technology advances, these benefits are expected to expand to more operations. It is crucial that all physicians are familiar enough to educate patients on its benefits and drawbacks, as well as on what they should expect to experience. …