Embodied Care, Spatiality, and the Ethics of Robotic Surgery
This graduate thesis from Drexel University examines the ethics, economics, spatiality, and embodied care associated with robotically-assisted minimally-invasive surgery, focusing on the da Vinci Surgical System manufactured by Intuitive Surgical Inc. The study employs qualitative research methods, including marketing material content analysis, interviews with surgical professionals, and participant-observation at a professional lecture. It explores how technological innovations in healthcare intersect with corporate marketing, surgical power dynamics, bodily discipline, and questions of healthcare justice.
Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.
Who issued it
Who it governs
Researchers, healthcare professionals, and students interested in the social, ethical, and economic implications of medical technologies in clinical practice.
What the document contains
This thesis addresses the qualitative dimensions of adopting robotic surgery, analyzing corporate marketing content, surgical professionals' attitudes, and workplace power dynamics in the operating room. It discusses bodily discipline, the concept of the surgical body-as-cyborg, the role of commercial sales representatives, and the economic justification of expensive medical technology.
The text does not provide a formal code of conduct, statutory regulation, clinical safety standard, or enforceable governance policy for medical device manufacturers or hospitals.
- The da Vinci Surgical System is marketed using aggressive strategies that often conflate its specific technological enhancements with the general benefits of traditional minimally-invasive surgery.
- Robotic surgery systems alter the operating room environment by changing the spatiality, bodily discipline, and power dynamics among surgeons, nurses, and commercial sales representatives.
- While robotic systems provide ergonomic and visual benefits for surgeons, they lack haptic or tactile feedback and introduce unique positioning risks for patients.
- The widespread adoption of high-cost surgical technologies raises critical ethical questions concerning distributive justice and rising healthcare costs in the United States.
1. Questioning Surgical "Progress" 2. Study Design 3. Marketing Machinery 4. The Unshackled Surgeon and New Human Components 5. Ethics and Economics
How it scores
Each score is backed by a quote verified against the document text. Editorial review has not yet confirmed them.
Accountability
2/5Clear responsibility for AI outcomes
However, the most respected member of the team and the one popularly viewed as possessing the ultimate responsibility for a procedure’s safety and success is the surgeon.
Chapter 1: Historical Context
screening score · 2026-10-23
Fairness
0/5Non-discrimination and equitable treatment
N/A
screening score · 2026-10-23
Human Dignity
2/5Respect for the inherent worth of persons
Furthermore, it takes on a special importance when that workplace dictates medical outcomes for unconscious patients visiting that social environment for a short time.
Chapter 1: Benefits and Beneficiaries
screening score · 2026-10-23
Human Oversight
0/5Humans remain in control of consequential decisions
N/A
screening score · 2026-10-23
Privacy
0/5Protection of personal data and private life
N/A
screening score · 2026-10-23
Transparency
1/5Openness about how AI systems work and are used
Intuitive Surgical’s claim is that robotic surgery performed via the da Vinci® system provides a measure of improvement in patient outcomes.
Abstract
screening score · 2026-10-23
Enforcement
0/5Consequences and compliance mechanisms with real force
N/A
screening score · 2026-10-23
Impact Assessment
2/5Required assessment of an AI system's risks/impacts before or during use
Critiques of the system cite exaggerated benefits along with unique traits that amplify risks of bodily harm.
Chapter 1: Benefits and Beneficiaries
screening score · 2026-10-23