Replacement of Highly Educated Surgical Assistants by Robot Technology in Working Life: Paradigm Shift in the Service Sector

Abstract

This article highlights the thus far unexplained social and professional effects raised by robotization in surgical applications, and further develops an understanding of social acceptance among professional users of robots in the healthcare sector. It presents findings from ethnographic workplace research on human-robot interactions (HRI) in a population of twenty-three professionals. When considering all the findings, the latest da Vinci system equipped with four robotic arms substitutes two table-side surgical assistants, in contrast to the single-arm AESOP robot that only substitutes one surgical assistant. The adoption of robots and the replacement of surgical assistants provide clear evidence that robots are well-accepted among operating surgeons. Because HRI decrease the operating surgeon's dependence on social assistance and since they replace the work tasks of surgical assistants, the robot is considered a surrogate artificial work partner and worker. This finding is consistent with prior HRI research indicating that users, through their cooperation with robots, often become less reliant on supportive social actions. This research relates to societal issues and provides the first indication that highly educated knowledge workers are beginning to be replaced by robot technology in working life and therefore points towards a paradigm shift in the service sector.

Social Acceptance of Robots in Different Occupational Fields: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Social & health care BY RESPONDENT GROUP: + Robots are accepted in work tasks related to hospital by general public [17]. Patients accepted robots in reflexology [27] and brain injury rehabilitation [8], and professionals in surgery [41, 90] -Professionals [8,51] and elderly respondents [6] questioned the necessity and feasibility of robots in social and health care fields -Robots were not well accepted by care professionals [78,93] or as a robot bathtub by the elderly respondents [6] AS EQUIPMENT OR AS A WORKER: + Robots were accepted as substitutes for tools or equipment [2,76,69] and coworkers [90], and even referred to as a social actor or a citizen [ -Robots were perceived more as toys or entertainment than as sources of security by elderly respondents [19,71] HEALTH OUTCOMES: + Robots were perceived as having a positive effect on patients in physiotherapy and rehabilitation [22,[31][32]34], and physiotherapists accepted their use in clinics and homes [53] BY ROBOT TYPE: + Telepresence robots were perceived as having positive effects on patient care [60,75] and communication [63,79] and ranked at least as desirable as telephones [7,47] + Assistive robots were well accepted by the elderly people [19,39,46,52,71], robot bathtubs by professionals [6] excessive control, hacking of the systems, and unemployment [12] Education + Robots are accepted in work tasks related to education [17] + Attitudes toward educational robots were neutral and robots could be imagined in subjects such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [74] -Respondents were reluctant to participate in teaching provided by a robot and could not imagine a robot in subjects such as social sciences or art…”

Robotic Process Automation and Consequences for Knowledge Workers; a Mixed-Method Study

“…Following this definition, the result is reproduction of work done by humans by automating their tasks motivated by cost reductions, flexibility, increased speed and resource utilization, improved service capabilities and quality [17]. In the society, we see a growing number of examples of automation and RPA in many industries including the financial industry with banking, insurance and auditing [13,18], and in public and private healthcare [20]. This development of automation can be explained by Drucker [8] who claims that the biggest challenge for companies in the 21th century whether business or nonbusiness, will be to increase the productivity of knowledge work and knowledge workers (p. 79).…”

Effects of Experience and Workplace Culture in Human-Robot Team Interaction in Robotic Surgery: A Case Study

“…One study suggested that team members adapt to the changes brought by the robotic surgical system by communicating more frequently than in a similar, minimally invasive procedure, and this effect is even more pronounced with novice teams [29]. Previous ethnographic research in robotic surgery suggests a shift in the social dynamic of the OR team in which the robot substitutes work tasks traditionally performed by the surgical assistant, altering the social reliance between the surgeon and the rest of the team [30].…”