Future of Surgery: Technology Enhanced Surgical Training Report Update

Description

In this presentation, Oliver Adebayo, the president of BOTA, addresses attendees regarding the state of surgical training in the context of recent challenges, notably due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He acknowledges the absence of the expected speaker, the chair of FOSTEST, and provides a detailed update on the findings of a report concerning technology-enhanced surgical training. Adebayo emphasizes the importance of discussing the report as many attendees are unaware of it. He highlights that general surgery is currently ahead in adopting innovative training technologies, while orthopedic surgery has lagged behind, indicating a critical need for improvement.



Adebayo explains that over 1.2 million elective operations in the UK have been conducted without trainee involvement since COVID-19, and describes how the report was initiated to address the decline in trainee exposure to surgeries. With the increasing trend of technological integration in surgical training, he notes a lack of sufficient involvement from trainees in developing these technologies. The report also aligns with earlier initiatives like the Future of Surgery report (2018) and the Topol Review (2019), both of which advocate for advancing digitally driven medical practices.



Delving into specific findings, Adebayo details the use of augmented reality, robotics, and big data in enhancing surgical training. He mentions an assessment of unmet needs based on feedback gathered from various stakeholders, including virtual hackathons involving surgical trainees and specialty associations. The report ultimately urges for the integration of effective technology solutions that complement traditional training methods, rather than replace them.



Furthermore, he points out the significant gaps in robotics training, revealing that a large percentage of surgical trainees lack exposure to robotic surgery. He concludes by stressing the importance of collaboration within the orthopedic community to foster technological innovations in training and patient care, encouraging colleagues to engage with industry partners to explore new educational research and opportunities. He invites all present to access the report online for more comprehensive insights and recommendations.

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