Key areas in the learning curve for robotic urological surgery: a Spanish multicentre survey.

BACKGROUND: The number of robotic-assisted procedures offered in Spain is rapidly increasing despite a lack of consensus criteria for training and credentialling.

OBJECTIVE: This national multicentre study was designed to analyze the different areas of the robotic urological surgery learning curve.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all 13 urology units in Spain with an active robotics programme requesting information on training and problems encountered.

RESULTS: In most centres (n = 11, 84.6%), training programmes were animal-based; cadavers were used at only 2 (15.4%). Proctoring in initial procedures was practiced by 12 groups (92.3%). When initiating the robotics programme, the console was shared at 8 units (61.5%). Prior experience in open and/or laparoscopic surgery was reported by 10 of the groups (76.9%), and experience in open surgery only by 2 (15.4%) or robotic surgery alone by 1 (7.7%). The procedure with which the robotics programme was started in all 13 participating units was radical prostatectomy. The number of cases needed to complete the learning curve for this procedure was 20-25 cases according to 8 (61.5%) surgery teams.

CONCLUSIONS: Up until March 26, 2010, 1,692 operations, mostly radical prostatectomies, were conducted using the da Vinci robot in our country.