Medical students' perceptions and curriculum preferences for robotic surgery in Oman: a cross-sectional study

Robotic surgery is an advanced form of minimally invasive surgery, and its use has continued to grow worldwide. Despite this, undergraduate medical education has not expanded at the same rate, and formal exposure to robotic surgery remains limited in many settings, including Oman. A structured educational needs assessment is an important first step in curriculum development. Understanding medical students' perceived knowledge, attitudes, and preferred learning approaches can help guide the introduction of robotic surgery into undergraduate and postgraduate training. This study therefore aimed to assess medical students' perceived knowledge, attitudes, and curriculum preferences regarding robotic surgery in medical training in Oman. This cross-sectional observational study used a validated questionnaire adapted from a published robotic-surgery study and distributed electronically to medical students at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). It was used as a local educational needs-assessment tool to examine students' perceived knowledge, attitudes, and preferred learning approaches regarding robotic surgery. Convenience sampling was used. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0, and P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 519 medical students were included in the study. Although 71.5% had heard of robotic surgery, 87.3% felt that their knowledge of the field was insufficient. Greater precision was identified most often as an advantage (67.2%), whereas higher cost was the most frequently reported disadvantage (82.3%). Some students remained hesitant about undergoing robotic surgery themselves. Despite this, support for incorporating robotic surgery into training was high, with 81.3% favouring its inclusion in the MD curriculum and 88.2% supporting its inclusion in residency training. Simulation-based teaching was the preferred learning method (73.5%), followed by attending robotic procedures during surgical rotations (66.5%). Most respondents also believed that Oman should invest in robotic surgery. Medical students in Oman generally had a positive view of robotic surgery, but self-perceived knowledge gaps and cost concerns remain. Robotic surgery education could therefore be introduced gradually, beginning with basic concepts, patient counselling, simulation-based learning, and supervised clinical exposure. These findings may help guide the curricular integration of this subject into undergraduate and postgraduate medical training in Oman.