Feasibility and safety of supervised robotic training for minor general surgical procedures: a prospective...

Robotic surgery offers technical advantages for minimally invasive procedures, but standardized clinical training pathways for junior surgeons remain poorly defined. This prospective study evaluated the feasibility and safety of integrating supervised robotic training into routine clinical practice and explored early operative performance patterns. Consecutive patients undergoing elective robotic cholecystectomy or transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) inguinal hernia repair between May 2025 and March 2026 were prospectively included in a structured supervised robotic training program. Procedures were performed by three junior surgeons after simulations and bedside robotic experience under direct senior supervision. Primary outcomes included perioperative safety and console takeover rates. Secondary outcomes included operative time and cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis. A total of 126 patients were included: 103 cholecystectomies and 23 TAPP repairs. In the cholecystectomy cohort, mean operative time was 68.1 ± 18.6 min. No intraoperative complications, conversions, surgery-related postoperative complications, or 90-day mortality occurred. Console takeover occurred in 3 cases (2.9%), corresponding to autonomous completion in 97.1% of procedures. Median hospital stay was 1 day. CUSUM analysis showed heterogeneous operative performance trajectories across junior surgeons, with progressive approximation toward the predefined benchmark. TAPP repair was completed safely without adverse events. Robotic cholecystectomy appears to be a feasible and safe model for total practice-oriented training under structured supervision. Performance optimization and alignment with senior-level efficiency are safely achieved during supervised console exposure. Robotic TAPP repair showed exploratory feasibility as an adjunct training procedure.