Funding clinical research: the need for information and longer term strategies. (1/236)

The Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on Specialist Medical Training recommended that training in research methodology should be a recognised component of all postgraduate training programmes and that further consideration be given by those responsible for postgraduate education, training and research to establishing how this might be achieved. Funding of the trainee in research is a crucial aspect of this directive, yet both trainers and trainees have described this as haphazard, invariably reliant on 'soft' money. The subject has raised wide discussion and debate. A questionnaire was sent to 205 consultant urologists in the UK, 154 (75%) replied and 130 (84%) had experience of research during their training. The first report examined their opinion about the contribution of research to their training; this report covers the questions directed towards funding, the source of their funding, whether sufficient funds, advice and information were available and where they might expect to obtain such details. The replies indicated a variety of sources of funding; knowledge about the financial support available for research was sparse and the majority considered there was insufficient advice and information available for trainees on the subject. Substantial funds are available for high quality scientific research programmes providing unprecedented opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration that is essential for advancing clinical practice alongside technological developments. The process of obtaining support can be a time-consuming exercise, raising the need for an administrative infrastructure to select, prioritise and co-ordinate an appropriate research strategy for the future.  (+info)

The urology work force in Ontario for the 21st century: feast or famine? (2/236)

OBJECTIVE: To address the issues of work-force planning and modelling in the 21st century for the specialty of urology in the Province of Ontario. DESIGN: Data (from 1991 to 1995) regarding urology physician resources were gathered from Health Canada, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Ontario Physician Human Resources Data Centre, the Canadian Post-M.D. Education Registry, the System for Health Area Resource Planning (SHARP) database, the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the National Physician Database. Specifically, the age and gender breakdown of currently active Ontario urologists, measures of urologist clinical activity (from Ontario Hospital Insurance Plan billings and questionnaires), inputs into and exits from the active urologist population were gathered, and estimates of future needs for urologist services, based on current population and demographic models, were made. A model to predict the balance between future needs for urology services and future supply of urologists was then created and validated against data drawn from the SHARP database. RESULTS: The model revealed that there will be a significant shortage of urologists in Ontario in the immediate and long-term future; by the year 2010 there will be a shortfall of 101 urologists in Ontario, or 51% of the total needed. CONCLUSIONS: Enlarging the urology training programs in Ontario would help to minimize the estimated shortfall. Systematic modelling of physician work-force needs for the future is necessary for the optimal allocation of health care resources. The methodology of the urology work-force model is generalizable to physician work-force planning for other specialty groups on a provincial or national basis.  (+info)

Referral for 'prostatism': developing a 'performance indicator' for the threshold between primary and secondary care? (3/236)

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to define a performance indicator at the gateway between primary and secondary care. METHOD: We carried out an analysis of referral letters sent to an urological department within the catchment area of a teaching hospital in Cardiff, Wales. The subjects were 221 sequential referral letters from 221 GPs. The main outcome measures were the information content of referral letters analysed. Letters were stratified into referral threshold groups by the presence of history, examination, routine investigations and specialized investigations. RESULTS: Three distinct categories of referral practice were identified: referrals which contained history alone; those providing history examination and a selection of routine investigations; and those providing history, examination data and the results of routine and specialized investigations. The study demonstrated that more than a third of GPs do not report the results of digital rectal examination in their referrals and only 4% record urinary flow rates and post-micturition residual urine volume. CONCLUSIONS: The majority (60%) of generalist referrals to an urology department for prostatism provide enough information for specialists to be able to prioritize appointments, but more than a third (36%) of the referrals contain inadequate information. The method has the potential of being developed into a gateway performance indicator in clinical practice.  (+info)

Translabial color Doppler for imaging in urogynecology: a preliminary report. (4/236)

OBJECTIVE: A prospective study was conducted to evaluate the use of color Doppler ultrasound in the investigation of female urinary incontinence. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients underwent a full urodynamic assessment and translabial ultrasound examination using color Doppler-capable equipment with 5-7-MHz curved array transducers, both in the supine and in the erect positions. RESULTS: More than minimal leakage was seen in 13 patients by Doppler and in 16 by fluoroscopic imaging. Results were in agreement in 28/37 cases (kappa 0.49). The observed discrepancies may have been due to initial technical difficulties, differences in bladder filling and the presence of a catheter on fluoroscopic imaging. In five incontinent patients, urethral flow velocities ranged from 0.064 to 0.34 m/s, which is equivalent to physiological venous and slow arterial blood flow and one to two orders of magnitude above the detection threshold of standard Doppler ultrasound equipment. CONCLUSIONS: Translabial color Doppler imaging of the lower urinary tract allows the documentation of fluid leakage from the bladder. It has the potential to become the new imaging standard for urogynecology.  (+info)

The diagnostic yield of intravenous urography. (5/236)

BACKGROUND: Intravenous urography (IVU) is considered an integral imaging component of the nephro-urological work-up in a wide array of clinical settings. At our institution there is an open-access policy with regard to requesting IVU studies. METHODS: In a prospective, blinded observational study we undertook to assess the diagnostic yield of IVU with respect to the source of referral (i.e. Urology, Nephrology, GP, A & E, other speciality) and the presenting features, such as renal colic, haematuria, bladder outflow obstruction, recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) etc. Two hundred consecutive patients were evaluated. RESULTS: Overall, 23% of tests were positive. There was a highly significant difference in diagnostic yield between the groups (P<0.001 for both referral source and test indication). A positive result was most likely after referral by a kidney specialist (37.1%) and when the test indication was renal colic (42%) or haematuria (32%). The yield was <15% in all other circumstances, with 94.9% and 92.1% of GP- and other hospital speciality-initiated IVUs being negative. When investigating recurrent UTI, 91.7% of tests were negative and 86.2% were negative when the indication was bladder outflow obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that an open access policy for IVU is not justified, especially when cost and the risk associated with contrast media and radiation exposure are taken into account. Our study supports the abandonment of routine IVU in the investigation of UTI and bladder outflow obstruction.  (+info)

Analysis of cluster randomized trials in primary care: a practical approach. (6/236)

BACKGROUND: Cluster randomized trials increasingly are being used in health services research and in primary care, yet the majority of these trials do not account appropriately for the clustering in their analysis. OBJECTIVES: We review the main implications of adopting a cluster randomized design in primary care and highlight the practical application of appropriate analytical techniques. METHODS: The application of different analytical techniques is demonstrated through the use of empirical data from a primary care-based case study. CONCLUSION: Inappropriate analysis of cluster trials can lead to the presentation of inaccurate results and hence potentially misleading conclusions. We have demonstrated that adjustment for clustering can be applied to real-life data and we encourage more routine adoption of appropriate analytical techniques.  (+info)

Gastroenterology and urology devices; reclassification of the extracorporeal shock wave lithotripter. Food and Drug Administration, HHS. Final rule. (7/236)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing a final rule to reclassify from class III to class II the extracorporeal shock wave lithotripter, when intended for use to fragment kidney and ureteral calculi. FDA is taking this action on its own initiative in order to assure that these devices are regulated according to the appropriate degree of regulatory control needed to provide reasonable assurance of their safety and effectiveness.  (+info)

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding sexually transmitted infections among general practitioners and medical specialists in Karachi, Pakistan. (8/236)

OBJECTIVES: To determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among specialists--that is, dermatologists, gynaecologists and urologists, and general practitioners (GPs) in Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: Interviewers administered structured questionnaires to doctors conducting outpatient clinics at tertiary hospitals and/or private clinics in Karachi. All private clinics within a 10 km radius of the Aga Khan University, and all tertiary hospitals having more than 100 inpatient beds were included in the study. RESULTS: 100 doctors (54 specialists and 46 GPs) responded. 80 doctors reported seeing at least one STI patient/month. The most commonly diagnosed STI the doctors reported was urethritis/cervicitis syndrome. 50% of the doctors knew the recommended antibiotics for gonorrhoea though only 46% of these knew the correct dosage. Specialists were three times more likely to recognise the clinical presentation of herpes and twice as likely to treat chlamydia, syphilis, and herpes with appropriate antimicrobials than GPs. 85% of the doctors advised their STI patients regarding condom usage; 36% thought that STI patients had loose sexual morals; 43% believed STI patients were drug addicts. Over 90% of the physicians were willing to attend educational sessions and follow a national STI treatment protocol. CONCLUSION: Doctors in Karachi, especially GPs, are deficient in appropriately managing and counselling STI patients. Among the specialists, urologists and dermatologists were more likely to manage STIs correctly than gynaecologists. Karachi doctors should be educated in the correct management and counselling of STIs to prevent further spread of STIs including AIDS.  (+info)