Attitudes Towards Robotic Gynaecological Surgery

Background: The technology of robotic-assisted minimal access surgery is rapidly progressing in all surgical specialities including Gynaecology. The introduction of this new technology in the UK has raised some issues amongst patients as well as medical professionals. There is a perception that there is a lack of knowledge surrounding robotics and its role in healthcare amongst the general public. Also, the increased use of robotic surgery increases the demand for training and experience amongst surgeons and trainees.

Aim: The overall aims of the work to be presented in this thesis are to understand the attitudes towards robotic surgery in gynaecology from patients and medical professional perspectives, to explore their issues and explore practical solutions in an attempt to mitigate these issues. In order to understand and build up a current knowledge base on medical professionals’ views and issues with robotic surgery, I conducted a national survey inviting all obstetrics and gynaecology trainees nationally. Moreover, to understand attitudes from patients’ perspectives, I conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with women who had undergone robotic surgery.

Conclusion: We were able to understand the current needs of both medical professionals and patients’ perspectives with regards to robotic surgery in gynaecology. In order to address these needs, we have undertaken a Delphi exercise to determine a core gynaecological robotic training curriculum. Furthermore, we have designed a new patient information video as a new modern source of perioperative information for robotic gynaecological surgery. A further pilot study was conducted to determine patients’ preference and information needs.