Table 5

Final consensus statements

	Consensus statement	Mean level of agreement*
1	Adopting a horizon scanning protocol is critical as future use cases for digital surgical technologies will continually emerge.	7.6
2	Digital technologies can provide the ability to train, retrain and retain surgeons’ proficiency/skills more effectively than traditional methods and this is of high value to healthcare systems and wider society.	8.6
3	Data interoperability needs to be advocated by all stakeholders because it is a prerequisite for realising the full potential of digital surgery and indeed many digital health interventions.	8
4	Digital surgical technologies link clinician and patient-related outcomes with objective performance indicators. These links should be considered by both national and hospital-level HTAs.	7.1
5	Given the current evidence base on the effects of digital technologies is still in its infancy, comparative studies assessing robotic surgery with and without the digital component should be considered whenever relevant and feasible.	7.6
6	Increasing automation is likely to be a particular driver for the re-evaluation of any recommendations made by this panel.	7.3
7	Digital surgical technologies allow diverse potential benefits, including reducing unwarranted variation in surgical practice, increasing access and reducing inequalities (eg, through 5G remote surgery). It is important for assessments to consider the value holistically within the entire surgical ecosystem.	7.5