Urovision 2020: The future of urology

Global viewpoints: proposals for the development of endourology in resource-limited countries in Africa

Endourology plays an important role in modern urological practice. Compared to open surgery, it offers many advantages. In Africa, endourology is not widely practiced or non-existent in some referral centres. Several factors have been linked to this challenge. This article explores and proposes strategies to improve endourology practice in the African context. Recognising the unique challenges and opportunities in the region, the document discusses key initiatives and recommendations to promote the growth and development of endourological practices, including the identification of local needs, training, technological adaptation, etc. It aims to provide valuable information on the advancement of endourology in Africa.

Digitalization in Urology-A Multimethod Study of the Relationships between Physicians' Technostress, Burnout, Work Engagement and Job Satisfaction

The potential influences of digitization on the mental health of personnel in the healthcare sector are increasingly coming into the scientific focus in the healthcare sector, especially in terms of the use of information and communication technologies. To date, there have been no German studies of the effects of technostress in healthcare. This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between technostress, burnout, work engagement, and job satisfaction among physicians in the field of urology. Data were collected via an online survey based on the job demands-resources model and the concept of technostress. The survey was sent to German urologists working in inpatient clinics. The participating physicians experienced moderate levels of technostress (M = 2.67, SD = 0.69). The results, based on a general linear model analysis, showed that technostress is significantly positively associated with burnout (β = 0.293; p < 0.001) and negatively associated with work engagement (β = -0.175; p < 0.001) and job satisfaction (β = -0.206; p < 0.001). This study also identified stress and strain factors associated with the use of ICT and assessed institutional support offers as coping mechanisms. The results of this study and its formulated practical implications can serve as a basis for discussing sustainable digitalization strategies in hospitals, taking into consideration technostress and its impact on physicians' burnout, work engagement and job satisfaction.

Efficacy of the novel, innovative, single-use grasper integrated flexible cystoscope for ureteral stent removal: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

We aimed to define the published impact, efficacy, cost-effectiveness and precise role of the Isiris-α device: the world's first sterile, single-use grasper integrated flexible cystoscope (SUGIFC) for ureteral stent removal.

METHODS

After PROSPERO registration (CRD42021228755), the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were utilized. The search terms "Grasper Integrated Flexible Cystoscope," and "Isiris," within the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and EMBASE were searched.

RESULTS

In this review, a cumulative total experience (10 publications) included 970 "SUGIFC" procedures (755 patients). However, only 366/970 procedures were actually used for "ureteral stent removal," with the remainder being surveillance cystoscopy only (603/970) or foreign body retrieval (1/970). Procedure-related and device failures in planned "removal of ureteral stents," was reported in 8/366 (346 patients) and 1/366 (346 patients), respectively. The cost-benefit utilizing the SUGIFC device is advantageous compared to "in-theatre" stent removals and favours less busy centres where maintenance, repair and replacement costs are more relevant. Other listed benefits include shorter stent indwelling times, shorter procedure duration, lower rates of bacteriuria and urinary tract infections, fewer emergency department visits and lower readmission rates. Technical limitations include the absence of an independent working channel, a narrower visual field and the lack of image universality since the monitor is device-specific.

CONCLUSION

The SUGIFC device needs to be outweighed against local costs and individual health systems. Its application in ambulatory ureteral stent removal may become significant due to the accessibility and convenience that it offers the attending urologist.

Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Urological Diseases and Management: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have certainly had a significant impact on the healthcare industry. In urology, AI has been widely adopted to deal with numerous disorders, irrespective of their severity, extending from conditions such as benign prostate hyperplasia to critical illnesses such as urothelial and prostate cancer. In this article, we aim to discuss how algorithms and techniques of artificial intelligence are equipped in the field of urology to detect, treat, and estimate the outcomes of urological diseases. Furthermore, we explain the advantages that come from using AI over any existing traditional methods.

Assessing number and quality of urology open access journals: 2011 to 2018

Background/Aims:

There is clear evidence that publishing research in an open access (OA) journal or as an OA model is associated with higher impact, in terms of number of reads and citation rates. The development of OA journals and their quality are poorly studied in the field of urology. In this study, we aim to assess the number of OA journals, their quality in terms of CiteScore, percent cited and quartiles, and their scholarly production during the period from 2011 to 2018.

Methods:

We obtained data about journals from www.scopus.com, and we filtered the list for urology journals. We obtained data for all Scopus indexed journals during the period from 2011 to 2018. For each journal, we extracted the following indices: CiteScore, Citations, scholarly output, and SCImago quartiles. We analyzed the difference in quality indices between OA and non-OA urology journals.

Results:

Urology journals have increased from 66 journals in 2011 to 99 journals in 2018. The number of OA urology journals has increased from only 10 (15.2%) journals in 2011 to 33 (33.3%) journals in 2018. The number of quartile 1 (the top 25%) journals has increased from only 1 journal in 2011 to 5 journals in 2018. Non-OA urology journals had significantly higher CiteScore compared with OA journals till the year 2015, after which the mean difference in CiteScore became smaller with insignificant p-value.

Conclusion:

Number and quality of OA journals in the field of urology have increased throughout the last few years. Despite this increase, non-OA urology journals still have higher quality and output.

Dhavileswarapu AVL, Naik N, Karimi H, Hegde P, Rai BP, Somani BK. Big Data Analytics in urology: the story so far and the road ahead

Artificial intelligence (AI) has a proven record of application in the field of medicine and is used in various urological conditions such as oncology, urolithiasis, paediatric urology, urogynaecology, infertility and reconstruction. Data is the driving force of AI and the past decades have undoubtedly witnessed an upsurge in healthcare data. Urology is a specialty that has always been at the forefront of innovation and research and has rapidly embraced technologies to improve patient outcomes and experience. Advancements made in Big Data Analytics raised the expectations about the future of urology. This review aims to investigate the role of big data and its blend with AI for trends and use in urology. We explore the different sources of big data in urology and explicate their current and future applications. A positive trend has been exhibited by the advent and implementation of AI in urology with data available from several databases. The extensive use of big data for the diagnosis and treatment of urological disorders is still in its early stage and under validation. In future however, big data will no doubt play a major role in the management of urological conditions.

Urological technology: where will we be in 20 years' time?

Since prehistoric times, our understanding of urology has rapidly expanded. Whilst primitive urologists began by using urine as a therapeutic substance, modern urologists may find themselves removing a kidney remotely by driving a robotic arm, with seven degrees of movement, while using image overlay-augmented reality. This review provides an insight into the potential status of urological technology in 20 years' time, assessed through an analysis of developments in imaging, diagnostics, robotics and further technologies. A particular emphasis is given to the promising fields of minimally invasive techniques, nanotechnology and tissue engineering, which likely hold the key to a new era for urology.