Intuitive India, the India arm of Intuitive, a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), has launched India's first remote surgical case observation technology, ‘Intuitive Telepresence’ (ITP). This technology enables surgeons to learn from expert surgeons without the need for travel or time away from their busy practice.

The ITP uses proprietary technology that enables real-time exchange of audio and video between the remote observer and the operating surgeon. Through this, observers can be virtually present in the operating room (OR) where a procedure with a da Vinci system is being performed.  ITP technology is HIPPA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant which provides a secure platform for remote learning on da Vinci Robotic platform.

Commenting on the launch of Intuitive Telepresence, Mandeep Singh Kumar, Vice President and General Manager, Intuitive India, said, "At Intuitive, we pride ourselves as a patient-first company. We work in close coordination with clinicians, hospitals, and medical/surgical societies to uncover the benefits of da Vinci technology in enabling life enhancing care and allowing physicians to heal without constraints. We believe that Intuitive Telepresence solution will support additional case observation and proctoring opportunities In India for surgeons involved in robotic-assisted surgery. Surgeons who are new to robotic-assisted surgery will be able to access expertise from surgeons anywhere in the world, reducing the need for physical travel while maintaining a high-quality information exchange. Our continuous endeavour is to utilise the latest technological innovations in support of continuous learning for our surgeons with a potential for improving clinical outcomes.”

With increased adoption of virtual ways of working since the spread of Covid-19, Intuitive has, with the ITP, reimagined continuous learning for surgeons by providing this seamless and secure platform to help bring learning to the surgeons—rather than asking them always travel for advanced training.

Intuitive has been running programmes such as the Intuitive Robotic Onboarding Programme and Education (I-ROPE) and the Roving Robot Programme in a continued effort to support strong robotics programs throughout India. Intuitive provides robust technical training and support to surgeons in India throughout their careers – from initial exposure to the technology to more advanced training, ensuring that they have the technical skills and experience necessary to perform the procedure using the da Vinci surgical system.