Robotic surgery and its impact on teamwork in the operating theatre

Effective teamwork in the operating theatre is important for safe patient care. In robotic surgery, the surgeon is physically separated from the operating theatre team, which could potentially have an impact on teamwork. With robotic surgery increasing internationally, this article reviews relevant published literature on teamwork in the operating theatre and reflects on how this might be impacted by robotic surgery. We conclude by describing a research study we are currently undertaking on this topic.