Robotics in Pediatric Surgery Training

Abstract

Background:

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of robotics in North American pediatric surgical training programs, as well as the experience of pediatric surgical residents with this new technology.

Methods:

A postal survey was sent to all the program directors of accredited pediatric surgery training programs in North America. All the responses were tabulated and analyzed.

Results:

The largest group of responders, 36%, identified minimal access surgery (MAS) as an area of special interest or expertise. Twenty-three percent of responders have used robotics in their practice. Fifty-nine percent of program directors felt robotics would play at least an important role in the future of pediatric surgery. Currently, residents from 32% of responding North American training programs have exposure to robotic technology. Forty-one percent of responding programs identified plans to incorporate some form of robotic training into their curriculum for pediatric surgery residents.

Conclusion:

There is a definite interest in development of robotic pediatric surgery among North American program directors. With further advancement of this technology, it is likely that more robotic techniques will be applied to pediatric surgery.