Student and surgeon perceptions of a robotic theatre live-link within the undergraduate curriculum

Explore student and surgeon perceptions of robotic theatre live-links as part of an undergraduate medical degree programme. During the surgical block, in the fourth year of a five-year medical programme at the University of Dundee, a robotic live-link session was introduced. Students undertook a pre-session case discussion and targeted anatomy revision before linking in to view the live operation. During the live-link session, the operating surgeon facilitated group discussion and answered questions via a headset. Following the session, 12 students and four participating surgeons completed a questionnaire exploring their experience of the session. The data collected was analysed descriptively to assess the acceptability of this teaching method to the staff and students as well as the students' perceived benefits of the learning environment. The session was well received, with 92% (11/12) of students describing it as relevant or very relevant to their learning. Students also reported fewer barriers to learning compared with their experiences in theatre, such as feeling unable to ask questions. Surgeons felt the quality of the teaching delivered was as good as or better than that normally delivered in theatre. They also reported that the live-link did not impact negatively on their ability to undertake the clinical case. This appears to be the first instance of a robotic theatre live-link being timetabled within an undergraduate curriculum. Student and faculty feedback is positive, and it may provide a way to introduce students to theatre without the usual barriers to learning.