Background: The studies which address the impact of costs of robotic vs. laparoscopic approach on quality of life (cost-effectiveness studies) are scares in general surgery.
Methods: The Spanish national study on cost-effectiveness differences among robotic and laparoscopic surgery (ROBOCOSTES) is designed as a prospective, multicentre, national, observational study. The aim is to determine in which procedures robotic surgery is more cost-effective than laparoscopic surgery. Several surgical operations and patient populations will be evaluated (distal pancreatectomy, gastrectomy, sleeve gastrectomy, inguinal hernioplasty, rectal resection for cancer, Heller cardiomiotomy and Nissen procedure).
Discussion: The results of this study will demonstrate which treatment (laparoscopic or robotic) and in which population is more cost-effective. This study will also assess the impact of previous surgical experience on main outcomes.
Keywords: QALY; ROBOCOSTES study protocol robotic surgery; cost-effectiveness; laparoscopic surgery; multicenter studies.
Copyright © 2022 Ielpo, Podda, Burdio, Sanchez-Velazquez, Guerrero, Nuñez, Toledano, Morales-Conde, Mayol, Lopez-Cano, Espín-Basany, Pellino and the ROBOCOSTES Study Collaborators.