• Sumeet Kumar Reddy, Shady Saikali, Ahmed Gamal, Marcio Covas Moschovas, Travis Rogers, Mischa Dohler, Jacques Marescaux, and Vipul Patel.
• AdventHealth Global Robotics Institute, Celebration, USA.
• Ann. Surg. 2024 Oct 22.

ObjectiveTo undertake a systematic review of the medical literature on telesurgery, with a key focus on identifying the key technical and non-technical themes searched in medical articles and to analyze gaps in the current knowledge base on telesurgery.BackgroundIt has now been over two decades since the first successful case of telesurgery and since this time there have been significant technological and telecommunications advancements.MethodsA systematic review of the literature was completed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. Details of the protocol for this systematic review were registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024511530).ResultsIn total, 102 unique references which were allocated into five categories; technical, cybersecurity, ethical, financial, regulatory considerations to discuss key themes. The vast majority of references were related to technical considerations which have demonstrated the feasibility of telesurgery. The non-technical considerations have a paucity of literature and a lack of guidance on telesurgery which appears to still be the major barriers to telesurgery.ConclusionsTelesurgery presents many interdisciplinary challenges, encompassing both important technical and non-technical (such as cybersecurity, ethical, financial, and regulatory) considerations. Further research, collaboration between stakeholders, collaborative community of experts, and the development of comprehensive consensus frameworks are essential steps toward the widespread adoption of telesurgery.Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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