The commercialization of robotic surgery: Unsubstantiated marketing of gynecologic surgery by hospitals

Objective: We analyzed the content, quality, and accuracy of information provided on hospital web sites about robotic gynecologic surgery. Study Design: An analysis of hospitals with more than 200 beds from a selection of states was performed. Hospital web sites were analyzed for the content and quality of data regarding robotic-assisted surgery. Results: Among 432 hospitals, the web sites of 192 (44.4%) contained marketing for robotic gynecologic surgery. Stock images (64.1%) and text (24.0%) derived from the robot manufacturer were frequent. Although most sites reported improved perioperative outcomes, limitations of robotics including cost, complications, and operative time were discussed only 3.7%, 1.6%, and 3.7% of the time, respectively. Only 47.9% of the web sites described a comparison group. Conclusion: Marketing of robotic gynecologic surgery is widespread. Much of the content is not based on high-quality data, fails to present alternative procedures, and relies on stock text and images.