Quality over quantity-current challenges of robotic surgery in Poland.

Abstract

Since its introduction in 2010, a dynamic growth of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) has been observed in Poland. The number of healthcare institutions implementing RAS has tripled in the last 36 months, with 80 surgical robots currently utilized on a national scale. While urological procedures dominate RAS utilization (73%), adoption in gynecology (12.2%) and gastrointestinal surgery (8.5%) is rising, driven by recent National Health Fund reimbursement policies. However, significant fragmentation and alarmingly low numbers of individual RAS procedures were identified: 47.7% of surgeons perform less than 40 cases annually. Parallel to expanding the robotic surgery reimbursement program, several standardized actions are warranted to further facilitate and optimize modern surgical practices in Poland. Regional disparities in access and underutilization of robotic systems, followed by a lack of a centralized and standardized registry to evaluate surgical and oncological outcomes, represent the main challenges to integrating robotic surgery nationally. Addressing these, followed by implementing structured training and uniform evaluation frameworks for clinical and oncological outcomes, are critical to maximizing the potential of surgical robotic systems in Poland.