Using an automated natural language processing tool, this retrospective study evaluated adverse events related to robotic surgery reported between 2000 and 2013. Device malfunctions contributed to many incidents, thus understanding these technical difficulties will be important for avoiding future harms.

This study found that use of an integrated operating room (OR) system and a digital checklist tool reduced risk-sensitive events more than using an integrated OR alone.

The author discusses approaches to improving safety in the operating room, such as the use of robotics and simulation.

New technology continues to offer great advances and challenges. This article takes a detailed look at technology’s impact on human performance by studying the implementation of a new physiological monitoring system for use in cardiac anesthesia. Discussion includes characteristics of the upgraded system, a process-tracing technique to examine the complex physician-computer interaction, and the problems that developed while in use. The authors introduce a number of new cognitive burdens that resulted and discuss how providers attempted to overcome these burdens within the framework of the new system. Though it represents one example, the rich discussion in this article applies to most new technology and the human factors that require it to function as technically designed.