Research Line: Circular Safe Hospitals / Seed Call: i4CS October 2024
Robotic surgery is often promoted as a more sustainable option due to improved patient outcomes, yet independent research on its environmental impact remains limited. While robotic procedures offer benefits such as greater precision, reduced blood loss, and shorter hospital stays, their advantages vary across different surgeries. At the same time, these procedures generate significant waste and greenhouse gas emissions, raising concerns about their sustainability.
This research focuses on the environmental impact of urological surgical robots, addressing the knowledge gap in “Circularity from the planetary health perspective.” By examining stakeholder attitudes and behavioral drivers, the study explores how healthcare professionals can influence MedTech companies toward more sustainable practices.
Objectives and Route to Impact
This project will generate scientific evidence on the environmental and social impacts of robotic surgery and translate the findings into a visual artwork at UMCU to encourage reflection on sustainability in surgical robotics. The research consists of five key components:
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Evaluating the environmental footprint of robotic-assisted cystectomy compared to open surgery, focusing on resource use, waste, and single-use instruments.
- Social Impact Analysis: Investigating how different surgical methods affect healthcare professionals’ skills, workplace dynamics, and job satisfaction through literature reviews and interviews.
- True Cost Analysis (TCA): Assessing the economic, social, and environmental costs of robotic and open surgery based on LCA results.
- Technical Evaluation: Analyzing the reusability of Da Vinci robotic instruments, identifying weak points, and providing recommendations for more sustainable designs.
- Artistic Intervention: Collaborating with artist Maria Koijck to create a visual artwork at UMCU, fostering reflection among healthcare professionals. Pre- and post-assessments will measure mindset shifts and facilitate dialogue on ethical considerations and sustainability in surgical robotics.
Findings will be shared in synthesis reports, informing healthcare professionals and manufacturers while contributing to discussions on responsible innovation.
Contribution to Cross-EWUU Collaboration
The project brings together experts from social science, surgical practice, circular innovation, robotics engineering, industrial design, and the arts. To foster effective collaboration, team members will engage in training sessions and site visits, such as excursions to the UMCU surgical robot facility, early in the project.
Integration of Knowledge Across Disciplines
Collaboration will be facilitated through joint analyses and feedback loops, ensuring insights from different disciplines are integrated. Scientific findings will combine perspectives from healthcare professionals, LCA analysis, and robotics engineering, forming the foundation for artistic outputs. The impact of the visual artwork on medical professionals’ mindsets will be assessed through pre- and post-surveys, while workshops will engage stakeholders in co-creation.
Added Value for UMCU Stakeholders
To maximize practical impact, the project will work closely with healthcare professionals, hospital management, and procurement experts at UMCU. Stakeholders will be involved in key decision-making processes to ensure project insights contribute to sustainable surgical practices. The expertise and networks of key UMCU partners will facilitate engagement with the target audience, promoting real-world application of the research findings.
Team
- Juliette van Haren – TU/e
- Scarlett Wang – WUR
- Sanne Jansen – UMC Utrecht
- Laura Piscicelli – UU
- Julie Legrand – TU/e