The robotics revolution has arrived, and it is changing how we do surgery
Med-Tech Innovation August 8, 2023
Professor Neil Mortensen, immediate past president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, examines the role of robotics in light of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
Rather than robots becoming our rivals or doing our thinking for us as surgeons, they will – and have already – become our alter egos.
The NHS has embarked on what is described as the biggest expansion in training and workforce in its 75-year history. The new NHS Long Term Workforce Plan embraces modern technology; it highlights how robotics is transforming surgical care and could ease pressures on staff, while artificial intelligence (AI) could speed up waiting times and support diagnosis.
As the plan itself describes, some of the benefits for surgeons...