Patient perceptions of robotics and navigation in orthopaedic surgery: a patient survey

IntroductionTechnology in Orthopaedic surgery has become more widespread in the past 20 years, with emerging evidence of its benefits in arthroplasty. Although patients are aware of benefits of conventional joint replacement, little is known on patients' knowledge of the prevalence, benefits or drawbacks of surgery involving navigation or robotic systems.Materials and methodsIn an outpatient arthroplasty clinic, 100 consecutive patients were approached and given questionnaires to assess their knowledge of Navigation and Robotics in Orthopaedic surgery. Participation in the survey was voluntary.Results98 patients volunteered to participate in the survey, mean age 56.2 years (range 19–88; 52 female, 46 male). 40% of patients believed more than 30% of NHS Orthopaedic operations involved navigation or robotics; 80% believed this was the same level or less than the private sector. A third believed most of an operation could be performed independently by a robotic/navigation system. Amongst perceived benefits o...