State of Urology survey highlights emerging trends, opportunities for growth

Investigators from the Desai Sethi Institute of Urology (DSUI) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine shared key insights from the State of Urology survey, an inaugural report that highlights the current landscape of urology and outlines implications for the future of the field.^1,2

"In the ever-evolving landscape of urology, understanding the patient's perspective remains paramount,” says Ranjith Ramasamy, MD.

Overall, the survey included responses from 70 urologists and 2425 adults in the US.

The first key finding from the responses from urologists highlights the importance of multidisciplinary care. In total, 93% agreed that cross-disciplinary collaboration is important for the management of complex urological cases, and 87% indicated that working with other medical specialties is vital to the discovery of new treatments or therapies.

Interdisciplinary care could also serve as a way to address the challenge of collaborating with diverse talent. In total, 74% of urologists indicated that attracting diverse talent is a current challenge in their professional work, but 19% said that a benefit to multidisciplinary care is the ability to work with diverse talent and attract a diverse work force.

Data also indicated that emerging technologies and AI will play a big role in the future. In total, 47% of urologists believed that the development of new technologies will have the biggest impact on the field in the coming years. Specifically, the technologies that urologists feel will have the biggest impact on the field in 3 to 5 years are advanced imaging (59%), artificial intelligence and machine learning (56%), robotic surgery, nanotechnology, and non-invasive treatment (49%), urinary biomarkers and genomic and molecular profiling (46%), telemedicine and remote monitoring (46%), and neuromodulation (34%).

In fact, 87% of urologists indicated that they planned to implement artificial intelligence and machine learning into their work in the next 3 years. Both urologists and older adults agreed that emerging technology can benefit urologic care through early detection and prevention (40% and 39%, respectively), improved accuracy of diagnostics and treatment plans (34% and 23%), and a reduced need for invasive or painful procedures (23% and 31%).

However, 50% of urologists reported that it was challenging to implement new technologies. The top reported barriers to implementing new technologies were lack of funding (49%), lack of training (41%), and lack of infrastructure (37%).

Additional key findings from responses from adults in the US shed light on potential barriers to care. Although 48% indicated that urology is important to supporting or maintaining their personal health, 65% reported never having seen a urologist for any reason. Additionally, 23% indicated that they had experienced symptoms of a potential urological condition, yet they did not seek treatment from a urologist. When asked why they did not receive treatment, the most commonly reported answers were receiving treatment by their regular doctor (37%), symptoms abating (23%), self-treatment with over-the-counter treatments or natural remedies (19%), not being aware that they should see a urologist (18%), and the cost (18%).

Further, 42% of adults felt that a routine urological check-up is not necessary unless they have received a diagnosis of a urological condition, and 37% felt that seeing a urologist would involve uncomfortable, embarrassing, or invasive procedures.

The results also highlighted some misconceptions about the specialty, with 28% of US adults believing that urologists mostly specialize in treating prostate-related conditions, and 20% indicating that only older adults needed to see a urologist.

Urologists perceived the top barriers to care as being an inability to identify symptoms or being unaware that their condition warrants medical attention (54%), misinformation or misconceptions about conditions or treatment options (50%), underestimating the severity of their symptoms or condition (49%), embarrassment (44%), and health care costs or concerns over insurance coverage (44%).

"In the ever-evolving landscape of urology, understanding the patient's perspective remains paramount. This report takes the current pulse of our field, pinpointing opportunities to accelerate improvements in patient care or the discovery of new and exciting treatments,” said Ranjith Ramasamy, MD, in a news release on the findings.² Ramasamy is the director of reproductive urology at DSUI.

Based on the findings from the survey, the investigators at DSUI developed 4 recommended actions for urologists: drive multidisciplinary collaboration, leverage technology excellence, bridge patient-urologist perspectives, and foster collaboration with general practitioners.

References

1. The State of Urology: Capturing Transformation, Challenges and Opportunities in the Field of Urology. Desai Sethi Institute of Urology. https://med.miami.edu/plp/dsui

2. New national survey by Desai Sethi Urology Institute reveals impact of technology & multidisciplinary collaboration on the future of urology. News release. Desai Sethi Institute of Urology. Published online and accessed January 22, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-national-survey-by-desai-sethi-urology-institute-reveals-impact-of-technology--multidisciplinary-collaboration-on-the-future-of-urology-302040073.html