Exploring the acceptance of robotic assisted surgery among the Indian population: An empirical investigation

Technology has completely transformed healthcare, starting with X-ray machines and MRIs to telehealth and robotic surgeries to e-health records. The launch of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) serves as a milestone in medical history, offering benefits such as smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery, making it a preferred surgical option. This study mainly explores patients' willingness to adopt robot-assisted surgery (RAS) technology in a surgical intervention and is assessed in the backdrop of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

This research project employs a post-positivist research philosophy and a cross-sectional research design. A structured, pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from 280 respondents.

The results revealed that trust had a significant impact on Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.099) and Perceived Ease of Use (β = .157), and eHealth literacy had a significant impact on Perceived Ease of Use (β = 0.438) and Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.454). Additionally, Perceived Usefulness partially influenced behavioral intention (β = 0.123), and attitude had a significant influence on behavioral intention (β = 0.612). The analysis revealed an insignificant impact of eHealth literacy on Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.067). The Standard Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) value was <0.8. Mediation analysis also revealed partial mediation between the constructs. The SRMR rating of this model is 0.067, indicating that it fits the data well.

This study revealed that a patient's intention will be high if he or she believes that RAS is beneficial in treating his or her ailment. In comparison, information related to RAS is clearly known, and it does not directly affect selection intention. eHealth literacy is a significant antecedent to patients' behavioral intention. Hence, the healthcare industry must devise strategies to promote the acceptance of RAS at all levels.