• Dina El-Hamamsy, Thomas J Walton, GriffithsT R LeyshonTRLUniversity of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom., Elizabeth S Anderson, and Douglas G Tincello.
• From the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester.
• Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2020 Feb 1; 26 (2): 86-91.

BackgroundThe rapid uptake of robotic surgery has largely been driven by the improved technical aspects of minimally invasive surgery including improved ergonomics, wristed instruments, and 3-dimensional vision. However, little attention has been given to the effect of physical separation of the surgeon from the rest of the operating team.PurposeThe aim of this study was to examine in depth how this separation affected team dynamics and staff emotions.MethodsRobotic procedures were observed in 2 tertiary hospitals, and laparoscopic/open procedures were added for comparison; field notes were taken instantaneously. One-to-one interviews with theater team members were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative analysis was conducted via grounded theory approach using NVIVO11.ResultsTwenty-nine participants (26 interviewed) were recruited to the study (11 females) and 134 (109 robotic) hours of observation were completed across gynecology, urology, and colorectal surgery.The following 3 main themes emerged with compounding factors identified: (a) communication challenge, (b) immersion versus distraction, and (c) emotional impact. Compounding factors included the following: individual and team experience, staffing levels, and the physical theater environment.ConclusionsOur emergent theory is that "surgeon-team separation in robotic theaters poses communication challenges which impacts on situational awareness and staff emotions." These can be ameliorated by staff training, increased experience, and team/procedure consistency.

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