The Commission on the Future of Surgery gazed twenty years into the future to identify advances in medicine and technology that are likely to change surgical care. We analysed evidence and assessed the implications of such developments for patients, the surgical profession and the healthcare system.

This is an exciting time to be involved in surgery. The future of surgery will bring innovative technologies, enhanced understanding of disease and wider collaboration among experts and innovators to improve patient care. The partnership between patients and clinicians will remain at the centre of healthcare.

Technologies such as surgical robots, artificial intelligence, three-dimensional printing and new imaging methods are already changing and will continue to change the way surgical care is delivered. Developments in fields such as genomics, regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies could open new avenues for predicting and treating disease, which were unthinkable only a few years ago.

Explore what the future looks like, which technologies are likely to have the greatest impact, and what this means for patients and surgical professionals.