Surgical innovation is entering an era constrained less by technological limitations but facing challenges in regulation, economics, and expertise. In this new environment, the key to advancing surgical outcomes lies in breaking down silos, embracing data-driven practices, and fostering multidisciplinary collaboration. Medtech companies and healthcare providers must leverage each other's strengths so that these partnerships can provide solutions that address the real needs of patients and clinicians alike. 

Intuitive Surgical and its Da Vinci surgical robot have been demonstrating how technology can dissect complex procedures into modular, repeatable, procedure-agnostic phases. This approach identifies steps common across different surgeries, enabling standardisation, training, and scaling of best practices across therapy areas. By adopting a product mindset and assembling cross-functional teams from traditionally siloed departments healthcare organisations can leverage more depth of experience to make surgeries more efficient and outcomes more favourable.

Data has the power to impact surgical outcomes, starting before patients step into the operating room. Prehabilitation, or preparing patients physically and mentally for surgery, has been shown to significantly improve outcomes. By using predictive analytics, clinicians can identify risk factors and guide patients towards supportive decisions before surgery, improving recovery times and reducing complications. Patients and families have stronger incentives to improve a single surgical outcome than surgeons or hospital departments. By engaging patients with clear data and actionable recommendations, healthcare systems can drive better decisions and outcomes.

Data ownership and security remain critical issues: patients are more likely to engage with systems they trust. Transparency is vital, with patients preferring to collaborate with active engagement over a static directive. Healthcare organisations must prioritise both robust security measures and open communication to build confidence. Patients are fuelling demand for connection and better systems, not just better devices. By adopting a more collaborative approach to data, healthcare providers can reduce burnout, improve efficiency, and elevate patient care.