Successful surgical device development is dependent on teasing out, sometimes unknown, needs and is best achieved through direct contextual research. This is especially true for devices to be used within the acute environment of the operating room.

With the emergence of robotic technologies, the dynamics within the operating room is changing. In robotic surgery, there are nuances to the workflow, staffing and training that may impact associated product needs. For a start, the surgeon is now remote from the patient and the robot is patient side. It’s only by seeing the interplay between robot, surgeon, patient and other staff that development needs can really be understood.

This paper explores how:

• Increasing use of robots for intricate surgical procedures is changing the dynamics of the operating room
• New levels of accuracy and precision made possible by the use of robotic technologies have impacted the surgical approaches being used
• Improved stability, dexterity, ease of access to otherwise awkward locations all have the potential to open up new procedural techniques
• There are consequences for the ancillary surgical tools being used