WORD COUNT: 1911

Out With the Old, in With the New

Today’s typical American society is dependent on the latest technological advancements

that help humanity evolve. Whereas in the medical field, technology is a vital resource in the

contribution of the procedures being done. New devices such as robotic automated systems in the

medical industry are working to improve patient care and provide for more successful operations.

In a world where technology is on the move to take over certain jobs in the workforce the issue

that surrounds innovative medical devices taking over human labor in the healthcare field

surfaces. New technologies shape societies and help them thrive by turning them into something

greater than what it was before. However, the idea of robotic systems and scientific technologies

taking over the workforce is a problematic issue that arises in the 21st century. At one point or

another the line needs to be drawn, but as of the year 2017 there is no telling where technology is

going to take society as the possibilities are endless. Technology is becoming more prominent in

the world today leading to innovations, such as automatic systems, which will result in human

labor throughout the medical field becoming less effective.

As new technology becomes widespread in the medical field, new robotics and devices

are being worked along with moving the medical field one step closer to the future of a

technology based society. New robotic systems are designed to aid in operations such as in

laparoscopy, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery and other forms of surgical procedures. These

systems are new technologies that will augment in the procedures that will act as a surgeon and

aid assistance and support. Other technicalities involved within include augmented reality

devices, which are computer-generated images that are displayed on realistic objects to view
something that is not there in real life. As society progresses the topic of transhumanism surfaces

within the research, which that is the belief that humans can augment their lives by using science

and technology (Lee). The idea is proposed that the new technologies will transcend human

capabilities causing the shift in power gearing towards humanity’s own developments. With the

latest discoveries involved in new technologies being implemented human labor will cease to be

as effective as it has in the past with the surgical procedures.

Technology is being implemented in different areas and fields of study to transform the

workforce creating a more efficient and functional environment. The new innovations in the

medical field have been discovered through recent findings done within branches of science.

Robotic systems are on the move to help aid surgeons in neurosurgical procedures that will

enhance the doctor’s ability to perform tasks on their patients, however their labor will not be as

needed such as in the past. These new systems are working towards being used on various

surgical applications that can reach areas and do things that human labor simply cannot (Alric).

A recent study conducted by Roswell Park Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical

Center, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and other institutions around demonstrated the

effectiveness of augmented reality, which is the use of robots to help assist in surgery. It was

reported that seventy percent of patients who received medical aid from hands-on surgical

training (HoST) technology found that there was no real difference from a real surgical operation

and that it could fulfill the job of human labor (Chowriappa). Without the newest developments

and innovations the recent discoveries would not have been found moving society one step back.

Using science throughout the field will provide for new ways in which procedures operate

causing human work to diminish slowly.

 As for some, the idea of a robot operating on them just does not seem ethical. The

morality behind automatic systems working to provide healthcare for patients is not only the

issue, but also they are putting their lives in the hands of technology. Surgeons in the past were

to take a hippocratic oath that would ensure their patients that they would do everything in their

power to aid them in support, however as fewer of them are needed who’s to say the robot is

liable (Cruess)? Robots are not capable of expressing emotion and some patients need that sense

of comfort while going through these operations to feel secure. While some may believe it is not

human like, efforts are ​being made to design the robots to have facial expressions and possess

human characteristics. Making the robot more “human-like” will draw in more patients to feel

more comfortable and safer during the procedures (Health Information and Management

Systems Society). There are ways to work around the fact that automaton devices do not possess

human qualities. If technology can exceed humanity then alterations in the economy will take

place changing the way in which people live their lives on a daily basis.

The overall cost and maintenance fees of the new technologies may cause concern,

however, these systems implemented are far more cost effective than human labor itself.

According to Technology and Healthcare it highlights that the amount of money it takes to

construct these complex devices outweigh the cost of surgeons in the long run (Mitrasinovic).

The need for fewer workers will contribute to the finances and research that needs to be put into

the creation of these newfound systems. Due to economics struggles, hospitals have lost various

amounts of surgeons, but are now accounting for new technology institutions that work with

automated systems and robots to improve and disperse healthcare. In doing so, less medical

practitioners will be needed within the field of healthcare to refine the practices being used
incorporating the new systems (Alric). With the less workers needed it gives them an opportunity

to seek a life of leisure or branch out to another field of study. The decrease in workers is an

economic encounter that will shift the medical field in the direction towards using new devices to

augment patient care, which will ultimately result in the progression of the future.

This economic fluctuation being brought about brings up another topic that in order to

stabilize the economy it needs workers, such as surgeons and other laborers that are vital in

producing a thriving economy. Without the ample amount of laborers, how would societal needs

be met? If everyone lived a life of leisure, then work would not get done especially being so

prominent in the medical field. New human discoveries are what keep the healthcare field going

amongst such a large industry. According the the ​United States National Library of Medicine,

studies have been conducted showing that healthcare careers are on the downfall and will be

replaced by robotics in the healthcare sector, but will result in many professionals not being able

to provide for themselves without the stable job aspect (​Syed). The need for less and less

healthcare providers has become a considerably great concern today due to the new

advancements, along with the robotic systems. With this being said, the robotics being

implemented will do more harm than good to the economy causing a shift in labor. Despite all of

this, the economy will thrive more than ever leading society to peak, which will further progress

where it is right now. If it were not for technology, jobs today all throughout different fields

would not be possible; therefore, it is vital that the people that form society take advantage of

their own intelligence and exceed where it is today.

On the other hand, the new discoveries and technologies are setting society up for the

future enabling our lives to become more manageable and effortless as humanity seeks to surpass
its own capabilities. With all of these new devices it often leads many to the question, where will

society be years from now as every aspect of life continues to progress? The stimulus article, “A

World Without Work”​ h​ ighlights that technology is going to take over certain careers and

occupations of the working class. Machines are on the move to transcend the abilities humans

possess in hopes to move our society one step forward. This concept is not focused in on one

industry in particular, but rather to all extending to the medical field that will affect the lack of

jobs that would come from this new form of how the economy is run. “Long Working Hours and

Cancer Risk: A Multi-Cohort Study” correlates long working hours and risk of cancers together.

In this case, correlation is not causation and there are gaps within the research, however surgeons

and other practitioners are just as much at risk as any other worker is because of their working

hours that can add up to be an unhealthy amount of time. “Increased working hours have been

reported as being associated with an increased incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke,”

which goes to show in the near future medical practitioners need to cut back on their hours to

reduce health risks (Heikkila et al). The idea that surrounds taking medical laborers out of their

field to incorporate the new technologies will be a positive step towards the future, while helping

towards the efforts of one’s mental health.

Humans need work to sustain sanity and will continue to do so to allow for society

progressions. Not only that, but everything humans have worked for would be gone

dehumanizing all of our capabilities. Relationships in the workforce are factors that contribute to

a person’s happiness. Most people view work as a positive thing that is more important to

someone’s well being rather than their pay income (Lopes). Without this satisfaction at work,

due to the decrease in jobs within the economy, the mental health of people can begin to decline
without the simple pleasures in life. Good relations are vital in a workforce, especially in the

medical field where cooperation is a necessity. In defiance of this regard, it is also shown that

people often want to live a life of leisure because of the stress many undergo working within the

healthcare field (​Steingold​). Often times, maintaining a mental state of health is more important

than our income. Therefore, since workers in the medical field are less effective in regards to

their labor, it would not a bad thing if more were to leave the field and live a simplistic life style.

Imagine a world where humanity’s creations were used to make the lives of everyone

easier exceeding humanity’s competence. Transhumanism is becoming more a of widely

accepted belief using science to expand one’s life. The medical field is already searching for

ways to have technology be put in the place of health care physicians and working to move the

field one step closer to its full potential of a cost effective, modern approach to the medicine field

(Lee). Safer methods of surgical procedures being conducted are done with the help of

technology. Further down the road if new discoveries and innovations take place then workers in

healthcare field are at risk of losing their occupation. Although robotic systems taking over the

medical workforce is so far out, the need for surgeons and other practitioners is already

decreasing (Mohr). With the less expenses technology will bring, there is no telling how far

society will progress. The economy is being altered in many ways that technology is going to

take over jobs leaving the future in the hands of humanity’s discoveries. “Technology shapes

society and society shapes technology,” therefore the medical field will thrive upon the

technological discoveries shaping the field globally (White).

 Works Cited

Alric, Matthiew. “Potential Applications of Medical and Non-Medical Robots for Neurosurgical

Applications.” Minimally Invasive Therapy, 2009. ​EBSCOhost, ​goo.gl/0YJLnD. 14

March 2017.

Chowriappa, Ashirwad. “Augmented-Reality-Based Skills Training For Robot-Assisted

Urethrovesical Anastomosis: A Multi-Institutional randomised Controlled Trial.”

Surgical Education, 2015.​ EBSCOhost, ​goo.gl/KYd41Z. 6 March 2017.

Cruess, Richard and Sylvia Cruess. “Updating The Hippocratic Oath To Include

Medicine’s Social Contract.” Medical Education, 2014. ​EBSCOhost,

goo.gl/WVrA8n. 20 March 2017.

Gureshi Owais, Mohammed and Rumaiya Sajjad Syed. “The Impact of Robotics on Employment

and Motivation of Employees in the Service Sector, with Special Reference to Health

Care.” Safety and Health at Work, 2014. ​National Center for Biotechonology

Information, ​https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266810/​. 21 March 2017.

Heikkila, Katriina. “Long Working Hours and Cancer Risk: A Multi-Cohort Study.” ​British

Journal of Cancer​, 2016,

http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v114/n7/full/bjc20169a.html​. 14 March 2017.

“Issues, Impacts and Insights Column: What’s New in Healthcare Robotics?” Transforming

Health Through IT, 2014. ​Health Information and Management Systems Society,

www.himss.org/issues-impacts-and-insights-column-what-s-new-healthcare-robotics​. 21

March 2017.
Lee, Joseph. “Cochlear Implantation, Enhancements, Transhumanism and Posthumanism.”

Science and Engineering Ethics, 2016. ​EBSCOhost, g​ oo.gl/nRjQx9.10 March 2017.

Lopes, Helena. “Why Do People Work? Individual Want Versus Common Goods.” Journal of

Economic Issues, 2011. ​EBSCOhost, g​ oo.gl/IfBueb. 6 April 2017.

Mitrasinovic, Stefan. “Clinical and Surgical Applications of Smart Glasses.” Technology and

Health Care, 2015.​ EBSCOhost, g​ oo.gl/Etx8mp. 11 March 2017.

Mohr, Catherine. “Surgery’s Past, Present and Robotic Future.” ​TED Talks,

https://www.ted.com/talks/catherine_mohr_surgery_s_past_present_and_robotic_future#t

-1113412​. 2009. Lecture. 21 March 2017.

Steingold, Daniel. “Study: Working More Than 39 Hours A Week Harmful To Mental Health.”

Study Finds, 2​ 017,

https://www.studyfinds.org/study-finds-that-40-hour-workweeks-bad-for-mental-health/​.

6 April 2017.

Thompson, Derek. “A World Without Work.” ​The Atlantic,​ 2015,

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/07/world-without-work/395294/​.

11 March 2017.