Robotic surgery and work-related stress: A systematic review

Despite robot-assisted surgery (RAS) becoming increasingly common, little is known about the impact of the underlying work organization on the stress levels of members of the operating room (OR) team. To this end, assessing whether RAS may impact work-related stress, identifying associated stress factors and surveying relevant measurement methods seems critical. Using three databases (Scopus, Medline, Google Scholar), a systematic review was conducted leading to the analysis of 20 articles. Results regarding OR team stress levels and measurement methods were heterogeneous, which could be explained by differing research conditions (i.e., lab. vs. real-life). Relevant stressors such as (in)experience with RAS and quality of team communication were identified. Development of a common, more reliable methodology of stress assessment is required. Research should focus on real-life conditions in order to develop valid and actionable knowledge. Surgical teams would greatly benefit from discussing RAS-related stressors and developing team-specific strategies to handle them. •Twenty studies were included in this systematic review assessing professional stress in robotic-assisted surgery (RAS).•Comparing stress levels between RAS and other surgical approaches (e.g., laparoscopy) yields inconsistent results.•The stress levels of RAS professionals are affected by factors such as experience, task-type or irrelevant communication.•Study conditions and measurements were heterogenous, underlining the need to develop a reliable way to measure RAS stress.•Future work should focus on real-life procedures to develop actionable knowledge regarding the impact of stress in RAS.