THE ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF REMOTE ROBOTIC SURGERY: WHO CONTROLS THE SCALPEL?
Keywords:
Keywords: remote surgery, robotic surgery, medical ethics, surgical responsibility, informed consent, telemedicine, cybersecurity in healthcare, artificial intelligence, patient autonomy, digital health lawAbstract
ABSTRACT
Remote robotic surgery has introduced groundbreaking advancements in modern
healthcare, allowing expert surgeons to operate on patients from thousands of
kilometers away. While this innovation offers increased access to specialized care,
especially in underserved regions, it also raises complex ethical questions. Who bears
responsibility if a complication arises during a remote procedure? How is informed
consent managed when the surgeon and patient have never met face-to-face? What
safeguards are in place to prevent system failures or cyber interference? This paper
explores the moral, legal, and practical implications of remote-controlled surgical
procedures, focusing on accountability, patient autonomy, data privacy, and the
evolving relationship between human judgment and machine precision in life-or-death
situations.
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