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Found 20 results
  1. News Article
    NHS patients in England are facing a “postcode lottery” in access to robotic-assisted surgery, according to an analysis by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The data, published on 20 April, shows that despite national guidance from NHS England there remain major differences in how the technology is funded, distributed and used across NHS trusts in England. Freedom of Information data from NHS trusts reveal that there is no consistent funding model for robotic surgery with some trusts, such as Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, relying on charitable funding. Read full article. Source: Digital Health, 21 April 2026
  2. News Article
    Surgeons can safely perform two common operations from distances of up to 1,700 miles, a new study has found. New research delved into telesurgery, a cutting-edge technique that allows medical professionals to operate on patients remotely using a surgical robot connected via a secure video-link. Academics in China initiated the study, highlighting that robust evidence on this method has previously been "scarce". Their primary aim was to ascertain whether telesurgery could achieve results comparable to, or "non-inferior" to, those from robotic-assisted surgery performed locally. Some 72 patients were randomly assigned to be given telesurgery or local surgery, with the main measure of success the outcome of the surgery. The researchers found telesurgery “was not inferior to local surgery in terms of the probability of surgical success”. Read full article. Source: The Independent, 29 January 2026
  3. News Article
    State-of-the-art robotic systems approved for use on the NHS could transform treatment for thousands of people across England. The technology, given the green light by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) under its early value assessment programme, offers a range of applications, from helping remove tumours to replacing a patient’s knee. The rollout is expected to reduce hospital stays, faster recovery times, and a lower risk of complications. A total of 11 systems have been approved, including five for soft tissue surgeries, such as removing tumours, repairing hernias and removing gallbladders and six for orthopaedics, including knee and hip replacements. Some allow surgeons to perform operations using mechanical arms controlled from a console, while others are hand-held. Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, programme director of NICE’s HealthTech programme, said: “These innovative technologies have the potential to transform both soft tissue and orthopaedic surgical care in the NHS. “Robot-assisted surgery may help overcome key limitations of conventional techniques through precise movements and enhanced 3D visualisation, potentially transforming surgical options and outcomes for NHS patients. “Both applications could benefit patients who might not otherwise be candidates for minimally invasive approaches.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 17 April 2025
  4. News Article
    Expensive scanners and surgical robots are underused and “lying fallow” at NHS hospitals, a report has said. Analysis shows a tenfold difference in how often NHS trusts use surgical robots — cutting-edge machines used for minimally invasive surgery that cost about £1.5 million each. There are also huge regional variations in the use of CT and MRI scanners, which help to diagnose illnesses including cancer and cost about £1 million each. Experts urged the NHS to ensure that each machine was used to the utmost to boost productivity and tackle hospital waiting lists of 7.4 million people. The report also warned that hospitals are failing to make full use of surgical robots, which can blitz through waiting lists by speeding up recovery times. In 2022 Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust used its surgical robot less than once a week while other NHS hospitals used theirs nine times a week. Jonathan Eida, a researcher at the TPA, said: “Our analysis of high-value machines in the NHS further adds to the body of evidence that the health service is not in a healthy state. “It is absolutely absurd for such expensive equipment to lie fallow, particularly given the swollen waiting lists. If Labour wants to deliver the efficient and productive health service that taxpayers are paying for, maximising the use of these machines has to be a priority.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 16 March 2025
  5. News Article
    Keyhole surgery can allow complicated procedures to be carried out with just a few access cuts, helping to reduce patient recovery times and potential risk of infection. But the remote controlled robots that can perform this type of surgery are often very large, expensive and not widely available. Now a new robo-surgeon with a modular design could be about to change that. View video Source: BBC News, 9 November 2020
  6. News Article
    Pioneering robotic surgery to remove hard-to-reach head and neck cancers has been performed in Wales for the first time. More than 20 patients a year from across Wales are expected to benefit from the new service at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. Surgeons use a precision robot with several arms to remove tumours and improve the chances of recovery. The first patient is recovering well from his operation in December. A human surgeon's wrist can turn 180 degrees, whereas the robot's four 'hands' can rotate four or five times. This dexterity reduces the need for more invasive surgery – in some cases this might have involved breaking the jaw open – and patients can recover much more quickly. Read full story Source: BBC News, 14 February 2020
  7. News Article
    As part of the HTN Health Tech Trends Series, Health Tech Newspaper has researched a variety of health tech projects making a difference across health and care. Read full story Source: Health Tech Newspaper, 5 December
  8. News Article
    How would you feel about a robot performing major surgery on you? 2019 has seen a boom in the use of cutting edge robotic technology and there is more to come. Evidence suggests robotic surgery can be less invasive and improve recovery time for patients. That could be good news with ever growing demand on health services. But how do patients feel? BBC News speaks to a patient as he prepares to put his trust in robotic assisted surgery, hoping it would mean he could get back to work more quickly. Read full story Source: BBC News, 12 December 2019
  9. Content Article
    Dr Steve Barker is joined by Ronald Weinstein, Director/Founder, Arizona Telemedicine Program, and Jeffrey Dunn, Founder/CEO, Redivus Health, to discuss the future of telemedicine within the patient safety and quality improvement space. Telemedicine has become a significant area of investment in recent years and the panelists predict that, in the future, user experience, consolidation, customisation based on relevance to the user, robotics, and health literacy will become top priorities.
  10. Content Article
    The Patient Experience Journal (PXJ) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published in association with The Beryl Institute. PXJ is committed to disseminating rigorous knowledge and expanding the global conversation on evidence and innovation on patient experience. Grounded in their core principles, PXJ engages all perspectives, with a strong commitment to patients included.
  11. Content Article
    University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL), IBSL (UK) Limited and Santa Lucia Pharma Apps SrL (SLPA), with support from EMAHSN and Loughborough University, have deployed a unit dose closed loop medicines management solution in four wards at UHL and undertaken an 18-month evaluation of the project (OptiMed-ID) in preparation for a Trust-wide rollout. OptiMed-ID is an innovation unique within the UK, which uses robotic technology and logistics software to produce and deliver individual doses of medication within an acute hospital setting. It enables complete control of medicine prescribing, supply and administration, reducing medication errors and cutting waste. Already deployed and delivering significant cost savings in 20 hospitals in Italy, the independent evaluation work – completed December 2015 – has confirmed that the use of “optimisation of medicines with individual dosing” (OptiMed-ID) in an NHS acute hospital setting can deliver drugs cost savings in excess of 25%. Deployed throughout four wards at UHL, this is the first time that an automated individual medicines dosing solution has been brought into operational use in the UK. The evaluation report has informed UHL’s decision to extend the pilot whilst business case and procurement activities for the rollout of the innovation throughout the whole trust are completed. The trust-wide deployment at Leicester is expected to deliver savings to the NHS of around £4m per annum, as well as improving medicines adherence and reducing the risk of medicine errors.
  12. News Article
    Using robots to assist in operations could make surgery more efficient and free up NHS beds, a report has suggested. The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) has published a guide: Robotic Assisted Surgery – a pathway to the future; exploring the potential benefits and challenges of the technology. It said the document “provides a structured pathway” for surgeons who want to transition to robotic-assisted surgery, which allows doctors to operate with more precision using interactive, mechanical arms. The report outlined “significant advantages” of using robots in surgery, including reduced post-op pain, fewer blood transfusions, more efficient use of anaesthetics and shorter hospital stays for patients. There are also benefits when it comes to patient safety, the college said, with platforms eliminating tremors and providing a magnified image of the surgical site. Read full story Source: The Independent, 14 July 2023
  13. News Article
    A national robotic-assisted surgery programme allowing surgeons to perform complex procedures with more precision and control is being introduced in Wales, the Health Minister has announced. The All-Wales Robotic Assisted Surgery Network, developed by health boards, the Life Sciences Hub Wales and the Moondance Cancer Initiative, will provide less invasive surgery for thousands of cancer patients across the country. The surgery involves the use of highly advanced robotic surgical instruments under the control of a surgeon. It will initially be used in Wales for some Colorectal, Upper Gastrointestinal, Urological and Gynaecological cancers. The Welsh Government will support the network with funding of £4.2m over five years, alongside £13.35m provided by health boards over 10 years. Health and Social Services Minister Eluned Morgan said: "The All-Wales Robotic Assisted Surgery Network is an ambitious and important programme helping to improve outcomes for patients and the NHS in Wales. It will put Wales at the forefront of international research for the use of robotic surgical techniques. This pioneering service will also encourage specialist staff to come to Wales to train and practice". It will initially be provided in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board area, with the first patient expected to receive treatment in June. Once fully established, patients in north Wales will no longer need to travel to England to receive robotic-assisted surgery. Read full story Source: Welsh Government, 14 March 2022
  14. News Article
    A robot paramedic is to be used for the first time to carry out chest compressions on ambulance patients to free up the emergency team who can perform other vital treatments. The device is known as LUCAS 3 and is able to deliver consistent, high-quality CPR chest compressions whilst the patient is on their journey to hospital. CPR is essential to maintaining oxygen levels in the body and flow of blood when someone is no longer breathing. South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) is the first ambulance service in the country to use the robots, which cost about £12,000. An SCAS spokesman said: “Once paramedics arrive and begin CPR or take over from bystanders who may have initiated it, the transition from manual compressions to LUCAS can be completed within seven seconds, ensuring continuity of compressions.” Data of the event can also be collected which can be reviewed at a later date. Dr John Black, medical director at SCAS, said: “We know that delivering high quality and uninterrupted chest compressions in cardiac arrest is one of the major determinants of survival to hospital discharge but it can be very challenging for a number of reasons. “People can become fatigued when performing CPR manually which then affects the rate and quality of compressions, and patients may need to be moved from difficult locations, such as down a narrow flight of stairs, or remote places which impedes the process.” Dr Black went on to explain that these devices don’t “fatigue or change” their delivery as a human might. This means “high quality CPR can be delivered for as long as is required.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 22 May 2020
  15. News Article
    Since February, the nurses at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA, have had an extra assistant on their shifts: Moxi, a 4-foot-tall robot that ferries medication, supplies, lab samples, and personal items through the halls, from floor to floor. After two years of battling Covid-19 and related burnout, nurses say it’s been a welcome relief. “There's two levels of burnout: There's ‘we’re short this weekend’ burnout, and then there's pandemic burnout, which our care teams are experiencing right now,” says Abigail Hamilton, a former ICU and emergency room nurse that manages nursing staff support programmes at the hospital. Moxi is one of several specialised delivery robots that has been developed in recent years to ease the strain on healthcare workers. Even before the pandemic, nearly half of US nurses felt that their workplace lacked adequate work–life balance. The emotional toll of seeing patients die and colleagues infected at such a large scale—and fear of bringing Covid-19 home to family—has made feelings of burnout worse. Studies also found that burnout can have long-term consequences for nurses, including cognitive impacts and insomnia years after the exhaustion of their early careers. The world already had a nurse shortage going into the pandemic; now, roughly two out of three nurses in the US say they have considered leaving the profession, according to a survey from the National Nurses United union. Moxi has spent the pandemic rolling down the halls of some of the largest hospitals in the country, carrying objects like a smartphone or beloved teddy bear to patients in emergency rooms when Covid-19 protocol kept family members from bedsides. Read full story Source: Wired, 19 April 2022
  16. Content Article
    Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) has published a new guide to help the NHS increase its use of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) programmes in NHS trusts, including training of staff, evaluation and safety monitoring.  The guide presents a framework that will help NHS providers and ICBs as commissioners to adopt a co-ordinated approach, supporting clinical teams to implement RAS programmes that are cost-effective, efficient and equitably provided for patients.   Working with NHS England’s elective recovery team and the surgical Royal Colleges, GIRFT is helping to meet the commitment of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan that seeks to ensure the provision of a fully trained, accredited RAS surgical workforce. The new guide, called ‘Implementation of robotic-assisted surgery in England’, describes the objectives and principles for robust and equitable service planning and design, as well as setting standards for safe implementation, workforce training and evaluation. 
  17. News Article
    Millions more people will have robotic surgery over the next decade under NHS plans to slash the huge waiting list for hospital treatment. The move will mean a significant expansion in how often surgeons use robots when treating people for cancer, hysterectomies and joint replacements, as well as in medical emergencies. The number of patients undergoing robot-assisted surgery is due to rise from 70,000 to 500,000 a year by 2035, the head of the NHS in England will announce on Wednesday. “The NHS has pledged to return to shorter elective waiting times by 2029 and we are using every tool at our disposal to ensure patients get the best possible treatment. “Expanding the use of new and exciting tech such as robotic surgery will play a huge part in this,” said Sir Jim Mackey, NHS England’s chief executive. “Not only does it speed up the number of procedures the NHS can do, but it also means better outcomes, a faster recovery and shorter hospital stays for patients.” By 2035, nine out of 10 keyhole surgery operations, in which the surgeon makes only small incisions into the patient’s body, will involve a robot, up from just one in five today. It will have become so common by then that it will be “the default” for many procedures, Mackey will say. Evidence shows that a robot, either controlled remotely by a surgeon at a console using a 3D camera or when it has been pre-programmed, can be more precise than when a surgeon undertakes the same task and often helps the patient to recover faster and get home from hospital sooner. When surgeons control the robot, they guide the surgical instruments – which in keyhole surgery can be as tiny as 5mm – to undertake the work needed. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 11 June 2025
  18. News Article
    A robot has performed realistic surgery on its own with 100% accuracy, researchers have said. In a “major leap” towards using more robots in operating theatres, a machine trained on the videos of surgeries was able to precisely work on removing a gallbladder. The robot operated with the expertise of a skilled human surgeon, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers in the US, even during unexpected scenarios typical in real-life medical emergencies. The robot was watched as it performed a lengthy phase of a gallbladder removal on a life-like patient. It was able to respond to and learn from voice commands from the team, just like a novice surgeon working with a mentor. Overall, there were 17 tasks in the surgery, the robot had to identify certain ducts and arteries and grab them precisely, strategically place clips, and sever parts with scissors. It was also able to adapt even when dye was introduced which changed the appearance of the organs and tissue. Associate professor in mechanical engineering, Axel Krieger, said: “This advancement moves us from robots that can execute specific surgical tasks to robots that truly understand surgical procedures. “This is a critical distinction that brings us significantly closer to clinically viable autonomous surgical systems that can work in the messy, unpredictable reality of actual patient care.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 9 July 2025
  19. Content Article
    Miscommunication in the robotic operating room is a significant contributor to patient harm. The researchers in this study observed 75 robotic surgeries and assessed miscommunication associated with flow disruptions. The study’s findings are summarised in the infographic below:
  20. Content Article
    Various research articles have reported that the science of Human Factors is of vital importance in improving human-machine systems. However, what is lacking is a fundamental historical outline of why Human Factors is important. This article from deWinter and Hancock provides such a foundation, using arguments ranging from pre-history to post-COVID.

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