Clinical Efficacy Over Privacy: Public Prioritization of Risk Dimensions in Telesurgery Acceptance Among Young Adults with Higher Education.

Abstract

Background: 5G-enabled telesurgery and robotic systems could improve access to specialist care, but acceptance remains limited by perceived risks. The relative importance of different risk dimensions is unclear.

Objective: To examine how four risk perceptions (network latency, privacy leakage, treatment outcome difference, and postoperative rehabilitation outcome difference) affect acceptance intention among young and highly educated adults, and to derive implications for ethical risk communication and governance.

Methods: A convenience sample survey was conducted among 345 university students. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, and multiple linear regression were used to test associations between risk perceptions and acceptance intention.

Results: The four risk dimensions explained 26.3% of the variance in acceptance intention (adjusted R ² = 0.263; F[4,340] = 31.639; p < 0.001). Acceptance intention was significantly and negatively associated with rehabilitation outcome risk (β = -0.318, p < 0.001) and treatment outcome risk (β = -0.160, p = 0.013). Network latency risk showed a marginal association (β = -0.126, p = 0.051), whereas privacy leakage risk was not significant (β = 0.005, p = 0.934).

Conclusion: For young, highly educated respondents, perceived clinical effectiveness, particularly rehabilitation, was more predictive of acceptance intention than operational performance or privacy concerns. Risk communication and oversight should prioritize transparent evidence on treatment and rehabilitation outcomes and use differentiated messaging; privacy protection should be integrated into informed consent in a patient-relevant and decision-consistent manner.