A Systematic Review to Summarise and Appraise the Reporting of Surgical Innovation: a Case Study in Robotic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

Abstract

Robotic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RRYGB) is an innovative alternative to traditional laparoscopic approaches. Literature has been published investigating its safety/efficacy; however, the quality of reporting is uncertain. This systematic review used the Idea, Development, Exploration, Assessment and Long-term follow-up (IDEAL) framework to assess the reporting quality of available literature. A narrative summary was formulated, assessing how comprehensively governance/ethics, patient selection, demographics, surgeon expertise/training, technique description and outcomes were reported. Forty-seven studies published between 2005 and 2024 were included. There was incomplete/inconsistent reporting of governance/ethics, patient selection, surgeon expertise/training and technique description, with heterogenous outcome reporting. RRYGB reporting was poor and did not align with IDEAL guidance. Robust prospective studies reporting findings using IDEAL/other guidance are required to facilitate safe widespread adoption of RRYGB and other surgical innovations.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; IDEAL framework; Innovation; Outcome reporting; Robotic surgery; Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Fig. 1

PRISMA diagram describing search strategy and details of excluded studies

Fig. 2

Bar chart showing publication dates and IDEAL stages of included papers. IDEAL stages were only able to be assigned once temporality was ignored

Fig. 3

Bar chart showing reporting of outcome domains according to IDEAL stage*