Robot doctors on the front line

I, robot? If so, where does that leave humans? Take surgery, for example, if doctors are reduced to technicians from the flamboyant anatomical artists of yesteryear, where does that leave the profession? It needn’t be the end of innovation or creativity according to our commentary writers ¹ . They examine the role of surgeons over three centuries and argue that tomorrow’s surgeons will show the empathy and compassion that robots cannot. The danger in that argument is that perhaps we cannot imagine what robots might be capable of?

Such thoughts might lead you into the Metaverse, the virtual reality world invented by the creator of Facebook. At present, the Metaverse seems rather abstract and remote given that we are contending with a world trapped in a cost of living crisis and riven by ideological differences. Yet, other authors believe that the Metaverse may have a role in health ² , which may seem as improbable as robot surgeons did three centuries ago.

A more prosaic response to these times of crisis might be a new term called “prudent healthcare.” Prudent healthcare is a reconnection with our core values, and achieves transformation through co-production between the public, patients, and professionals, providing care to those most in need, only doing what is needed, and reducing inappropriate variation ³ .

Futurology and reimagining health systems are some steps removed from the harsh realities of clinical care, especially in a pandemic. Our research paper, based on secondary care data from Wales during 2020, examines the important, and somewhat controversial, question of who to prioritise for vaccination and personal protective equipment. Patient-facing staff are most at risk. Amongst staff groups, foundation year doctors, nurses, and support staff were at highest risk ⁴ . The answer may be to give those jobs to robots.