The future of telesurgery and telementoring. As telecommunications and robotic technology continue to advance, telesurgery is likely to take on a more prominent role in urologic practice. Citing an emerging body of literature supporting the idea of a correlation between a surgeon’s level of experience and clinical outcomes, many advocate the centralization of surgical care to centers of excellence. Telesurgery has the potential to play a significant role in this process, allowing for such centralization while obviating the need for patients to travel great distances to obtain such levels of care.
CONCLUSION
Much like the introduction of the telephone and email to the practice of medicine, the introduction of more sophisticated technology has been met with skepticism and concerns over quality of care. However, just as the telephone has become pivotal in the rapid and effective transmission of medical information, advanced telemedicine is likely to become part of routine urologic practice.
This was an excellent review of the current state of technology in tele-rounding (seeing patients from afar with the help of a robot), tele-surgery, tele-proctoring, and more. This was led by Drs. Lee and Kavoussi from Long Island Jewish on Long Island.
It is an excellent piece to read for all urologists and anyone interested in how technology is changing medicine.