Congratulations Dr. Lakita Lowe!!!

Congratulations to Dr. Lakita Lowe, who successfully defended her dissertation titled “Establishing and Sustaining Telesurgery Skills Training in Medical Institutions: An Exploratory Case Study” as part of the fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy dissertation at Oklahoma State University.

Committee Members: Dr. Tutaleni I. Asino (Advisor), Dr. Susan Stansberry (Chair), Dr. Penny Thompson, Dr. Toni Ivey, Dr. Chad Depperschmidt.

Abstract: This qualitative research study explores the integration and diffusion of telesurgery skills training within medical institutions, using Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Theory (Rogers, 2003) as a guiding framework. As robotic surgery becomes increasingly integral in healthcare, telesurgery skills training is viewed as crucial for enhancing surgical proficiency, accessibility, and patient outcomes (Kumar et al., 2008; Rudiman et al., 2023). Data were collected through interviews with program directors representing seven institutions implementing telesurgery skills training and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis, following a six-phase process to identify key themes. Findings revealed critical themes related to stakeholder engagement, financial sustainability, standardized training, educational challenges, technological infrastructure, access expansion, and legal and ethical considerations. While the participants expressed optimism about telesurgery’s potential, they also identified barriers of high costs, limited faculty expertise, and a lack of established standards. DOI Theory provided a lens to examine adoption factors ‒‒ Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Complexity, Trialability, and Observability. This study contributes to understanding how medical institutions can effectively navigate the complexities of telesurgery skills training, aligning with global trends in technology-enhanced healthcare education.