The legal and ethical considerations in cross-border telesurgical procedures.

IF 1.7 Q2 MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL
Annals of Medicine and Surgery Pub Date : 2025-05-12 eCollection Date: 2025-06-01 DOI:10.1097/MS9.0000000000003344
Chukwuka Elendu, Dependable C Amaechi, Tochi C Elendu, Emmanuel C Amaechi, Ijeoma D Elendu, Olutomiwa A Omokore, Nwamaka C Onubogu, Janet C Omeludike, Eunice T Aregbesola, Oluwagbemiga O Fajimi, Omoyelemi F Idowu, Sopuruchukwu L Emechebe, Mbanefo C Uyanwune, Johnson Yonni
{"title":"The legal and ethical considerations in cross-border telesurgical procedures.","authors":"Chukwuka Elendu, Dependable C Amaechi, Tochi C Elendu, Emmanuel C Amaechi, Ijeoma D Elendu, Olutomiwa A Omokore, Nwamaka C Onubogu, Janet C Omeludike, Eunice T Aregbesola, Oluwagbemiga O Fajimi, Omoyelemi F Idowu, Sopuruchukwu L Emechebe, Mbanefo C Uyanwune, Johnson Yonni","doi":"10.1097/MS9.0000000000003344","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Telesurgery, or remote surgery, represents a transformative fusion of medicine and technology, enabling surgeons to perform procedures on patients located miles away using robotic systems and advanced telecommunications. However, its widespread adoption remains limited, with fewer than 50 documented fully remote telesurgical procedures in the past two decades. While robotic-assisted surgery is increasingly common - accounting for over 1.2 million procedures in 2019 - true cross-border telesurgery is rare due to technological, legal, and ethical barriers. The lack of a unified regulatory framework presents jurisdiction, licensing, liability, and data security challenges, particularly when procedures span international borders. The absence of standardized legal mechanisms creates uncertainty, especially in surgical complications or malpractice claims. A global regulatory framework should address these challenges, incorporating mutual recognition of medical licenses, standardized liability agreements, and uniform data protection protocols aligned with General Data Protection Regulation and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Additionally, real-time 5G-enabled monitoring systems could mitigate latency issues, reducing the risk of surgical errors due to connectivity disruptions. Ethically, telesurgery raises concerns regarding informed consent, equitable access, and accountability. Language barriers, differing cultural attitudes toward robotic surgery, and disparities in healthcare infrastructure complicate ethical oversight. Establishing an international telesurgical ethics board could ensure adherence to standardized consent procedures and promote equitable access through global partnerships. Investment in telesurgical training programs and AI-driven risk mitigation strategies could enhance patient safety. While technological advancements will continue to drive telesurgery's growth, addressing these legal and ethical considerations through harmonized global regulations and strategic policy interventions is crucial for sustainable and equitable integration into modern healthcare.</p>","PeriodicalId":8025,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Medicine and Surgery","volume":"87 6","pages":"3660-3672"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12140691/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Annals of Medicine and Surgery","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000003344","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/6/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Telesurgery, or remote surgery, represents a transformative fusion of medicine and technology, enabling surgeons to perform procedures on patients located miles away using robotic systems and advanced telecommunications. However, its widespread adoption remains limited, with fewer than 50 documented fully remote telesurgical procedures in the past two decades. While robotic-assisted surgery is increasingly common - accounting for over 1.2 million procedures in 2019 - true cross-border telesurgery is rare due to technological, legal, and ethical barriers. The lack of a unified regulatory framework presents jurisdiction, licensing, liability, and data security challenges, particularly when procedures span international borders. The absence of standardized legal mechanisms creates uncertainty, especially in surgical complications or malpractice claims. A global regulatory framework should address these challenges, incorporating mutual recognition of medical licenses, standardized liability agreements, and uniform data protection protocols aligned with General Data Protection Regulation and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Additionally, real-time 5G-enabled monitoring systems could mitigate latency issues, reducing the risk of surgical errors due to connectivity disruptions. Ethically, telesurgery raises concerns regarding informed consent, equitable access, and accountability. Language barriers, differing cultural attitudes toward robotic surgery, and disparities in healthcare infrastructure complicate ethical oversight. Establishing an international telesurgical ethics board could ensure adherence to standardized consent procedures and promote equitable access through global partnerships. Investment in telesurgical training programs and AI-driven risk mitigation strategies could enhance patient safety. While technological advancements will continue to drive telesurgery's growth, addressing these legal and ethical considerations through harmonized global regulations and strategic policy interventions is crucial for sustainable and equitable integration into modern healthcare.

跨境远程外科手术的法律和伦理考虑。
远程外科手术代表了医学和技术的革命性融合,使外科医生能够利用机器人系统和先进的电信技术为几英里外的病人进行手术。然而,它的广泛采用仍然有限,在过去的二十年中,只有不到50个完整的远程外科手术记录。虽然机器人辅助手术越来越普遍,2019年的手术数量超过120万例,但由于技术、法律和道德方面的障碍,真正的跨境远程手术很少见。缺乏统一的监管框架会带来管辖权、许可、责任和数据安全方面的挑战,特别是当程序跨越国际边界时。缺乏标准化的法律机制造成了不确定性,特别是在手术并发症或医疗事故索赔方面。全球监管框架应应对这些挑战,包括相互承认医疗执照、标准化责任协议以及符合《一般数据保护条例》和《健康保险流通与责任法案》的统一数据保护协议。此外,支持5g的实时监控系统可以缓解延迟问题,降低由于连接中断而导致的手术错误的风险。从道德上讲,远程外科引起了对知情同意、公平获取和问责制的关注。语言障碍、对机器人手术的不同文化态度以及医疗基础设施的差异使伦理监督复杂化。建立一个国际远程外科伦理委员会可以确保遵守标准化的同意程序,并通过全球伙伴关系促进公平获取。对远程外科培训计划和人工智能驱动的风险缓解战略的投资可以加强患者安全。虽然技术进步将继续推动远程外科的发展,但通过协调一致的全球法规和战略政策干预来解决这些法律和道德问题,对于可持续和公平地融入现代医疗保健至关重要。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
Annals of Medicine and Surgery
Annals of Medicine and Surgery MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL-
自引率
5.90%
发文量
1665
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:604180095
Book学术官方微信