Robot surgeons are making it difficult for junior doctors to learn how to perform operations, according to a report.
According to the MIT Technology Review, “New research suggests that the labor-saving practice of robotic surgery is making it difficult for junior doctors to learn how to perform operations.”
“Surgical robots are used by over one-third of U.S. hospitals. Over the past decade, the robots have been used for more and more types of surgery,” they explained. “The robots mean less human work is required in the operating room. According to a paper published Tuesday in Administrative Science Quarterly, that takes away training opportunities from new doctors going through their residencies. In the past, younger doctors had ‘hands in patient’ roles that were useful to senior surgeons. Now they’re superfluous: the robot performs many of their previous tasks.”
Because “senior surgeons often took over from younger doctors during training,” they “didn’t get enough experience to learn,” according to the report, and, “After completing their residencies, young doctors were not adequately prepared to complete robotic surgeries alone.”
This week, Prince William visited a hospital in Chelsea, London, to watch doctors perform a tumor removal operation with a robot, while in September, it was revealed that robotic technology would now allow surgeons to have the sense of touch during robot operations.
In May, scientists revealed a robotic surgery drill with the ability to perform skull drilling procedures 50 times faster than humans.
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington, or like his page at Facebook.
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