The future of surgery or a robotic waste of money?

Although robotic surgery may improve the functional design and visualisation for surgeons, in the patient-centred world of medicine, if it does not equate to more efficient outcomes, it is not practical to use in the wider context of surgery. Moreover, in times of scarce resources, healthcare investments should be directed towards interventions that demonstrate both positive patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness. As Prof. Lord Darzi, an RCSI graduate and world-renowned surgeon and inventor of surgical methods, once stated regarding the efficiency of robotic surgical techniques: “Healthcare systems all over the world are facing completely different pressures compared with 20 years ago … the whole way in which we provide healthcare has got to change. The world is crying out for low-cost, high-impact technologies that can be employed widely across the globe”. For the time being, it is evident that more research is required before robotic surgery is fully integrated into the Irish healthcare system. As it stands, robotic surgery is, indeed, a waste of money.