Health economics of robotic surgery

Abstract

This chapter is focused on the economic evaluation of robotic surgery. Economic evaluation in healthcare programmes is defined as the comparative analysis of alternative courses of action in terms of both their costs and consequences (Drummond et al. 1997), and it aims to ensure that benefits gained outweigh benefits forgone [William (1986) in Drummond et al. (1997)]. In recent years, economic evaluation of healthcare programmes has increased in popularity to the point where it has become an indispensible part of any healthcare-related studies. The most widespread application of this subject is in the pharmaceutical industry, i.e., pharmaeconomics. The reasons of its increased application may be due to the recognition of the conflict between the limited health resources and unlimited health service demand. Economic evaluation can help in health service decision making, in health policy making, and in regulation of the healthcare market, where asymmetric information is abundant and free market access is prohibited. This chapter considers the importance of the economic evaluation of robotic surgery and reviews the current state-of-art in this area. When new technologies involve substantial investment, economic evaluation can be used to establish a rational resource allocation system within a limited budget. Finally, this chapter concludes by making suggestions for future developments in the economic evaluation of robotic surgery. © 2008 Springer-Verlag London.