Telemedicine in Endourology for Patient Management and Healthcare Delivery: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Curr Urol Rep. 2024 Jul 9. doi: 10.1007/s11934-024-01224-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Researchers have examined how telemedicine affects endourological patients. This review analyzes the literature to determine telemedicine's benefits and limitations in endourology.

RECENT FINDINGS: Many studies were devoted to describing the effect of telemedicine on endourological patient satisfaction, optimization of the clinical decision-making among patients with kidney and ureteric stones, the effectiveness of telemedicine in the management of patients with indications for PCNL, follow-up for patients with urolithiasis and describing financial effectiveness for the patients after BOO surgery. The authors describe phone calls, video calls, and online booking platforms as used as telemedicine technology. However, several concerns also exist, such as the necessity of internet connections and appropriate devices, different receptivity among certain subgroups, data safety, and different regulatory environments among countries. Telemedicine offers the potential to reduce patient travel time, expedite decision-making, and save costs in endourology. However, its everyday implementation is challenging due to various obstacles faced by patients and providers, hindering the realization of its full potential and necessitating a systematic approach to problem-solving.

PMID:38980521 | DOI:10.1007/s11934-024-01224-6