Ottawa, Ontario, April 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Could remote robotic surgery play a role in improving health outcomes for residents in remote and northern communities?  The Conference Board of Canada explores the use of this technology in a newly released report titled Cool Ideas: Remote Surgery. This paper aims to spark a conversation on whether remote robotic surgery could reduce costs, expand access and/or improve surgical services in the North, in the near term or distance future.“While it is obvious that remote surgery does not provide an immediate solution to the need for urgent surgical interventions in remote communities, it is vital that the Far North explore downstream innovations that may provide long-term help,” says Ken Coates, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation, and one of the authors of the paper.“Many residents across Canada’s North live in a context where access to medical care is challenging,” says Stefan Fournier, Director, Indigenous and Northern Communities at The Conference Board of Canada. “It’s worth looking into whether remote robotic surgery could help residents in Canada’s North and other remote regions access important surgical needs. But for this to happen in the near or even the distant future, many issues need to be addressed, including technological, cultural, logistical and social concerns. Most importantly, northerners need to determine whether or not remote surgery is something they want to consider”.Cool Ideas: Remote Surgery is the second in the Cool Ideas series, designed to spark a nationwide conversation about the technological future of the Canadian North. This series aims to raise awareness about emerging opportunities in a thoughtful and creative manner, while weighing the costs and benefits of new systems against the risks and challenges. The first of the series was titled Revolutionary Building for the North: 3D Printing Construction and is available here. About The Conference Board of CanadaThe Conference Board of Canada is Canada’s foremost independent, non-partisan, and evidenced-based applied research organization.  We equip leaders and decision-makers with the economic reports, custom research, data, networks and events they need to solve our country’s most pressing challenges. Our focus areas include Canadian Economics, Energy & Environment, Innovation & Technology, Immigration and more. We stand at the intersection of research and policy, where insights meet impact.Follow The Conference Board of Canada on Twitter @ConfBoardofCdaMedia contact:Thida Ith:  [email protected]ard.ca or 1-866-242-0075 Corp Comm
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