ArticleSurgical endoscopy2026
Disparities in robot utilization in colorectal surgery: the widening gap.
Article in Surgical endoscopy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Economic, resource-use, and adoption signals in the robotic colorectal surgery literature: a bibliometric and visualization study.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRobot-assisted surgery has expanded in adoption and indication among multiple surgical specialties, including colorectal surgery. It is unclear if access to robotic surgery is increasing equally among all patient populations.
objective(1) Identify the factors that may influence type of surgical approach and (2) evaluate disparities in access and subsequent outcomes of colectomy and proctectomy from years 2013-2020 using a national database. STUDY
designWe performed a retrospective study using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program to identify adult patients who had undergone colectomy and/or proctectomy from years 2013-2020. We performed multivariate analysis to identify factors that may influence the likelihood of receiving robotic surgery. SETTINGS: Tertiary care medical center. PATIENTS: 18 years and older, received colectomy and/or proctectomy from 2013-2020.
main outcome measuresFrequency of robotic colorectal surgery, postoperative complications, and mortality.
resultsA total of 125,776 patients met inclusion criteria. Mean age was 61.4 years; 12.8% (16,086) of patients were non-White. In multivariate analysis, patients who were female, non-White, underweight or had inflammatory bowel disease were less likely to undergo robot-assisted surgery (p < 0.05). Although the total number of robotic cases increased year-to-year, the gap between White and non-White patients widened. In 2014, a White patient was 1.51 times more likely to have robot-assisted surgery compared to a non-White patient; odds increased to 1.96 in 2020 (p < 0.001). Patients who underwent robot-assisted surgery were less likely to have a postoperative complication (OR 0.86, CI 0.82-0.9) or serious adverse event (OR 0.9, CI 0.84-0.97), and had lower odds of 30-day mortality (OR 0.72, CI 0.57-0.91). LIMITATIONS: Retrospective, limited coding in national databases, and database variables.
conclusionsDespite increased awareness of racial and ethnic disparities in surgical care, non-White patients' decreased access to robot-assisted surgery is troublesome. Interventions must focus on closing this gap if we are to provide equitable healthcare.
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