This is an addendum to Trudy Lieberman’s blog post about surgical robot news release puffery…and about questionable claims of robotic surgery “firsts” as robot owners launch marketing and public relations efforts.
I’ve been saving a little sample of robot owner’s claims about their expensive investments, and have posted some of them below.
As you look below at this little gallery of gee-whiz, think about the learning curve that’s required with any new device and any new surgical procedure.
And ask yourself as you look at these promotions whether you’d want to be the first in line…or maybe the 1,000th.
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Monday at #ADA2021, an infectious disease epidemiologist, a journalist, and a researcher shared perspectives on communication of risk in the era of COVID-19: http://ow.ly/ROfR30rMeE7 @AstleyCM @garyschwitzer @berthahidalgo @ADA_DiabetesPro
Shoutouts to @susan_bewley @drkevinknopf @MichaelBaum11 in this call for more than fawning coverage from press releases for these kinds of stories.
Also, linked history inside goes back 5 years just on Grail apparently trying to become Holy Grail. https://twitter.com/garyschwitzer/status/1408849696416841731
Comments (1)
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Jack Fowler
April 13, 2015 at 10:13 amOne ironic part about this series: I think studies showed it took 500 to 700 operations with the robot before surgeons could get their complication rates for radical prostatectomy down to the level of surgeons who did them the old fashioned way. The very last thing in the world a patient should want is to be the first patient on whom a surgeon performs robotic surgery.
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