Humans better than robots for surgery

With hospitals spending millions on robots and new technology, studies have found that machines don’t reduce side effects and take longer to operate.

They found highly-trained surgeons armed with a scalpel perform procedures faster than machines, at a lower cost – and do not make more mistakes.

Two studies – one by Leeds University and the other by Stanford University – independently found robots did not reduce side effects or improve the patient’s health when compared to manual operations.

Dr Michael Wong, one of Australia’s leading neurosurgeons and spinal surgeons, is a strong advocate of ‘freehand’ surgery and says a skilled and experienced surgeon produces the best outcomes in the operating theatre.

“Younger, inexperienced surgeons have come to rely on technology too much but we’ve seen that it is not as accurate as a surgeons hands performing the operation.

“Using machines actually slows me down, which is why I prefer freehand surgery. And if a surgeon has to rely on a machine to operate, what happens when the machine isn’t available or is a different model to the one the surgeon is used to? This actually happens quite a lot and is becoming more common.

“It’s much better if we encourage and educate younger surgeons to perform the surgery themselves and not rely on technology, because it really isn’t better than freehand surgery.

“Yes, technology is can be a useful aid but it can’t replace the surgeon.

“It’s like having autopilot on an aeroplane to help the pilot fly the plane but the pilot must be able to fly freehand because if or when the technology fails then that human needs to take control.”