Urology- are we leaving junior doctors behind? A prospective study

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. IntroductionUrology accounts for 16% of all surgical admissions. In addition there are many more inpatients with urological needs. Recently there has been concern about the undergraduate and postgraduate exposure to urology. This prospective questionnaire based study aims to look at the perception of a small cohort of junior doctors on their own urology knowledge and confidence before and after a simple teaching intervention.MethodsFoundation year (FY) 1 and 2 doctors, as well as general practice trainees (GPST), and core surgical trainees (CST), were sent an online survey enquiring about their exposure to, and knowledge of the management of urological patients. Following this a teaching session was devised addressing common urological problems and frequently asked questions. This was followed by further questionnaires looking into whether this simple intervention had improved confidence and patient care.ResultsThe results showed that only 8% of junior doctors felt they had had sufficient teaching and exposure to urology, although 42% said they felt comfortable managing most urological problems on call. Over three quarters of the doctors felt further urology teaching would improve patient care, and 95% of them felt emergency urology was the most important subject to be taught. The majority preferred to have a lecture based teaching session rather than mentoring or simulation. Following the session, 93% of the doctors felt they would be more comfortable managing patients on the ward, with 0% saying the session was 'not useful'.DiscussionOur questionnaire supports other data suggesting that doctors do not feel they have sufficient exposure, in terms of basic knowledge and skills, to provide safe and effective care to patients with urological problems in the acute setting. This can be addressed effectively with a simple urological teaching programme delivered in 1 or 2 teaching sessions. This basic curriculum can be shared Deanery-wide subsequently.