ArticleSurgical endoscopy2015
Surgeons' display reduced mental effort and workload while performing robotically assisted surgical tasks, when compared to conventional laparoscopy.
Article in Surgical endoscopy, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Training in robotic-assisted surgery: a systematic review of training modalities and objective and subjective assessment methods.Surgical endoscopy · 2024Pooled it
- The emerging role of robotics in plastic and reconstructive surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of robotic surgery · 2024Pooled it
- Stress in surgical educational environments: a systematic review.BMC medical education · 2022Pooled it
- Are Surgeons Working Smarter or Harder? A Systematic Review Comparing the Physical and Mental Demands of Robotic and Laparoscopic or Open Surgery.World journal of surgery · 2021Pooled it
- Musculoskeletal pain among surgeons performing minimally invasive surgery: a systematic review.Surgical endoscopy · 2017Pooled it
- Simulation training with haptic feedback of instrument vibrations reduces resident workload during live robot-assisted sleeve gastrectomy.Surgical endoscopy · 2025Trial
- Robotic Surgery Improves Technical Performance and Enhances Prefrontal Activation During High Temporal Demand.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2018Trial
- Trial
- Instructional Design for Surgical Novices Based on Cognitive Load Theory: Implications for Urologic Surgery Training.International journal of urology : official journal of the Japanese Urological Association · 2026Review
- Robotic-assisted laparoscopic excision of rudimentary uteri for chronic pelvic pain in Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome: a case report.International journal of surgery case reports · 2026Article
- Workload and usability evaluation of the da Vinci SP and Xi during low anterior resections.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Observational
- Critical analysis on the assessment of ergonomics in robotic surgery: A scoping review.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Article
- Surgeon stress, anxiety, and workload: a descriptive study of participant reported responses to fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery exercises.Surgical endoscopy · 2024Article
- Differences in Physicians' Ratings of Work Stressors and Resources Associated With Digital Transformation: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Cognitive ergonomics and robotic surgery.Journal of robotic surgery · 2024Review
- The stress for surgeons: exploring stress entities with the robotic senhance surgical system.Journal of robotic surgery · 2024Article
- Examining surgeon stress in robotic and laparoscopic surgery.Journal of robotic surgery · 2024Article
- Surgeon reported measures of stress and anxiety prior to and after elective gynecological surgery.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2024Article
- Factors affecting upper limb ergonomics in robotic colorectal surgery.Journal of surgical case reports · 2023Article
- Demands of surgical teams in robotic-assisted surgery: An assessment of intraoperative workload within different surgical specialties.American journal of surgery · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundResearch has demonstrated the benefits of robotic surgery for the patient; however, research examining the benefits of robotic technology for the surgeon is limited. This study aimed to adopt validated measures of workload, mental effort, and gaze control to assess the benefits of robotic surgery for the surgeon. We predicted that the performance of surgical training tasks on a surgical robot would require lower investments of workload and mental effort, and would be accompanied by superior gaze control and better performance, when compared to conventional laparoscopy.
methodsThirty-two surgeons performed two trials on a ball pick-and-drop task and a rope-threading task on both robotic and laparoscopic systems. Measures of workload (the surgery task load index), mental effort (subjective: rating scale for mental effort and objective: standard deviation of beat-to-beat intervals), gaze control (using a mobile eye movement recorder), and task performance (completion time and number of errors) were recorded.
resultsAs expected, surgeons performed both tasks more quickly and accurately (with fewer errors) on the robotic system. Self-reported measures of workload and mental effort were significantly lower on the robotic system compared to the laparoscopic system. Similarly, an objective cardiovascular measure of mental effort revealed lower investment of mental effort when using the robotic platform relative to the laparoscopic platform. Gaze control distinguished the robotic from the laparoscopic systems, but not in the predicted fashion, with the robotic system associated with poorer (more novice like) gaze control.
conclusionsThe findings highlight the benefits of robotic technology for surgical operators. Specifically, they suggest that tasks can be performed more proficiently, at a lower workload, and with the investment of less mental effort, this may allow surgeons greater cognitive resources for dealing with other demands such as communication, decision-making, or periods of increased complexity in the operating room.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.