28/05/2026
A few days ago, Chris, the Asia-Pacific Regional Director from Intuitive, visited Taiwan.
During his visit, we discussed the current development of robotic surgery in Taiwan and across the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the future direction of surgery in the years ahead.
As a thoracic surgeon, I believe surgery is a lifelong learning journey. I was inspired by Chris’s curiosity and thoughtful perspective, and I’d like to share a few highlights from our conversation.
✅ Single-Port da Vinci Surgery
I recently began performing Single-Port da Vinci procedures. Chris was very interested in my firsthand experience transitioning from Multi-Port to Single-Port surgery. The differences go far beyond the instruments themselves—they involve surgical workflow, spatial awareness, and an entirely different learning curve. It was a meaningful discussion, although I almost ran out of English vocabulary by the end! I’m glad I was able to share my experience effectively.
✅ da Vinci Surgery and Taiwan’s National Health Insurance
Many patients are still unable to access robotic surgery because of financial considerations. Fortunately, through the ongoing efforts of Intuitive and Taiwan’s National Health Insurance system, some advanced surgical instruments have gradually become reimbursable, helping reduce the overall cost of surgery for eligible patients.
✅ The Future of Surgery
Beyond technological advances such as the da Vinci platform, Chris also emphasized the importance of international collaboration among surgeons. This means more opportunities for multidisciplinary meetings across the Asia-Pacific region and expanded educational resources for surgeons.
I’ve always enjoyed attending international conferences. From the moment I board the plane, I enter “learning mode.” Every new idea, every discussion, and every shared experience has the potential to improve patient care. Likewise, sharing what I’ve learned may help surgeons and patients in other parts of the world.
✅ Helping Surgeons Shorten the Learning Curve
Many surgeons experience frustration when facing the steep learning curve of robotic surgery. As an Intuitive-certified proctor, one of my responsibilities is to help fellow surgeons overcome these challenges more efficiently. Single-Port surgery presents even greater technical and cognitive challenges than Multi-Port surgery, so I was also able to share recent teaching experiences, challenges, and lessons learned.
Overall, it was a rewarding and inspiring afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity.
Looking back at the photos while writing this post, I realized I had the cutest surgical cap in the room—a thoughtful gift from one of my patients!
前幾天，直覺公司（Intuitive）的亞太區總監Chris來參訪
他這次來，主要是了解台灣與亞洲區目前達文西手術的發展現況，以及未來幾年外科領域可能的變化。
身為一個執刀者，外科是一條學習不完的路。我也在Chris身上，感覺到這份求知慾跟細膩思考，聊了很多，發篇文稍微紀錄一下
✅單孔達文西手術
最近開始進行單孔達文西手術，Chris對我的實際操作體驗很有興趣，從多孔到單孔的轉換，不只器械操作、空間感，甚至整個學習曲線都非常不同，我提供了不少執刀心得，聊到後來覺得自己的英文詞彙快用完了XD，很開心有好好傳達。
✅達文西手術vs健保給付狀況
很多病患受限於預算，無法接觸到達文西手術。然而隨著直覺公司與健保的努力，也逐漸讓一些進階的耗材納入健保的給付，進而降低手術費用。
✅外科的未來
除了像達文西機台等硬體設備上的進化、提升手術品質，Chris也認為跨國醫師交流很重要。這代表，未來應該會有很多亞太區的跨領域研討會可以參加，他們也會提供更多教學資源。
我一直很喜歡跨國研討會。從上飛機開始就可以一直保持著海綿的狀態，多聽多看，想著也許多記下一句話，有可能因此多救了一個病患；而我分享出去的知識，也許能幫助其他地區的人。
✅降低醫生們的學習曲線
不少醫師在面對很高的學習門檻時會感到挫折，我身為達文西指定的指導醫師，有一部分的任務是「幫助他們更順利地跨過學習曲線」，尤其單孔達文西的難度、邏輯又比多孔達文西複雜，除了結合最近的單孔經驗，當天也提供了一些教學上的挑戰與收穫。
總之，是個收穫滿滿的下午，感謝這個機會。
發文時重看照片，才發現我的帽子是全場最可愛的，謝謝病患幫我做的帽子！
#外科手術的挑戰與未來
#外科交流與分享
#達文西手術
#當一個好的學習者與教導者
