The Lived Experience of Patients with Adult Acquired Buried Penis.

PURPOSE: We describe the lived experience of adults with acquired buried penis (AABP) through thematic analysis of patient interviews. We examine the challenges that patients face and the impacts of surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This mixed-methods study utilized validated instruments and semi-structured interviews to capture pre- and postsurgical outcomes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with open-ended questions to elicit the impact of AABP on a patient's quality of life in several domains including urinary function, sexual function, interpersonal relationships and mental health. Recruitment was completed once we achieved thematic saturation. RESULTS: Twenty patients participated in the study; 11 underwent surgical treatment for AABP. Semi-structured interviewee responses were coded into 12 different themes and 39 subthemes. The most common themes were problems with urinary (19/20, 95%) and sexual function (19/20, 95%). Most participants (16/20, 80%) reported negative impacts of AABP on social life. Interviewees struggled with relationships (8/20, 40%) and mental health (11/20, 55%), often avoiding romantic relationships and reporting fear of rejection with concomitant depression and/or anxiety. The majority (70%, 14/20) experienced difficulties accessing care. Among patients who underwent surgery, the majority discussed improvement in urinary and sexual function (82% [9/11] and 73% [8/11], respectively). Though weight gain was a precipitating factor, weight loss did not result in symptom improvement. Rather, in 4/20 (20%), weight loss made their condition worse. CONCLUSIONS: Patients living with AABP experience profound negative impacts on quality of life including their urinary and sexual function, social life and mental health. Many patients face issues with access to care.

Characteristics of Online Crowdfunding Campaigns for Urological Cancers in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: We examined the characteristics and financial outcomes of online crowdfunding campaigns for patients with major urological cancers in the U.S. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed publicly available data from GoFundMe, the largest online medical crowdfunding service, via automated web scraping. Online campaigns from 2010 to 2018 with the following primary cancer types were included: kidney, prostate, bladder and testicular. Financial outcomes were compared using Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Multivariable analyses were utilized to identify predictors of campaign financial outcomes. RESULTS: Kidney cancers were the most frequent online campaign type (478), followed by prostate (379), bladder (202) and testicular (175) malignancies. Urological cancer campaign recipients frequently requested funding for medical expenses (71%) during active treatment (57%). After adjustment, testicular cancer and children's cancer campaigns generated more donations than other urological and adult cancer campaigns (p <0.05). Family and friend-authored campaigns generated more donations and average donation amounts than self-authored campaigns (p <0.05). Campaign narratives focused on disheartening circumstances received fewer donations than narratives focused on the recipient's high moral character or contributions to society (p <0.05), and unclear narratives received the smallest donation amounts (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Urological cancer crowdfunding in the U.S. is primarily used to finance uncovered costs associated with medical care during active treatment. Crowdfunding financial outcomes are likely related to the campaign recipient's age, malignancy type, social network and primary appeal of the narrative. Urologists should be aware of trends in medical crowdfunding in order to better understand the financial burden this patient population faces.

Pre-Operative Assessment Tool To Predict Post-operative Pain and Opioid Use in Outpatient Urologic Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand the pain requirements of urologic patients in the post-operative outpatient setting. Healthcare providers are one of the leading contributors to the current opioid epidemic. Understanding opioid prescribing practices and patients' narcotic requirements while not over-prescribing opioids is a public health priority. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study to examine opioid consumption among adult patients who presented for outpatient urologic surgery at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZSFG) hospitals. We administered a Pre-Operative Pain Requirement Assessment Tool (POPRAT) electronically via text message 3 days prior to surgery to identify objective factors that may predict post-operative pain and opioid requirements. Patients were followed for 7 days post-operatively, in a similar fashion, to assess daily pain, and opioid use. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty-four participants were eligible for the study and 211 completed the study. Urology patients undergoing outpatient elective procedures used a mean of 5 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) (SD = 14.9) in a 7-day period. Women and patients less than 45 years of age had the highest opioid use. Based on the POPRAT, major predictors of post-operative pain were pre-operative anxiety (0.34 estimate, P value <.001) and anticipated pain (0.34 estimate, P value <.001). Anticipated opioid use, however, did not predict actual opioid use. CONCLUSION: Urologic outpatient surgeries require minimal opioids for pain management. The POPRAT may help identify which patients may experience more pain after surgery. Certain factors such as age and gender may need to be considered when prescribing opioids.

Institutional Opioid Prescription Guidelines are Effective in Reducing Post-Operative Prescriptions Following Urologic Surgery: Results From the American Urologic Association 2018 Census.

OBJECTIVE: To assess provider and practice characteristics that drive opioid prescription behavior using the American Urological Association census data. METHODS: Stratified weighted analysis using 1,157 census samples was performed to represent 12,660 urologists who practiced in the United States in 2018. We compared urologists according to their opioid prescription patterns to evaluate factors and motivations behind opioid use in the post-operative setting. RESULTS: Overall, 11,205 (88.5%) urologists prescribe opioids in the post-operative setting. The presence of procedure-specific institutional prescribing guidelines was associated with a greater tendency to prescribe ≤10 pills, and lesser tendency to prescribe 11 to 49 and ≥50 tablets following open abdominal (P = .003), laparoscopic (P < .001), scrotal (P < .001), and endoscopic surgeries (P < .001). The presence of institutional prescribing guidelines was associated with decreasing opioid prescriptions over a three-year period whereas not having guidelines was associated with an unchanged prescription practice over time. Basing current prescriptions on what was given to prior patients was reported by 85% and was more likely to result in an unchanged amount of prescriptions over time (29.2% vs 13.3%, P = .007). Motivations to avoid patient phone calls were reported by 23.8% and were more likely to increase the opioids provided within the next 3 years (3.2% vs 0.1%, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Practitioners who endorsed using institutional guidelines prescribed fewer opioids following all types of surgery and were more likely to decrease their prescription behavior over time. This data supports continued efforts to provide urologists with more evidence-based guidance on best practice opioid prescribing in the future.

Characterizing online crowdfunding campaigns for patients with kidney cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients incur high care costs; however, there is a paucity of literature characterizing unmet financial obligations for patients with urologic cancers. Kidney cancer patients are particularly burdened by costs associated with novel systemic treatments. This study aimed to ascertain the characteristics of GoFundMe® crowdfunding campaigns for patients with kidney cancer, in order to better understand the financial needs of this population. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional, quantitative, and qualitative analysis of all kidney cancer GoFundMe® campaigns since 2010. Fundraising metrics such as goal funds and amount raised, were extracted. Eight independent investigators collected patient, disease and campaign-level variables from campaign stories (κ = 0.72). In addition, we performed a content analysis of campaign narratives spotlighting the primary appeal of the patient's life story. RESULTS: A total of 486 GoFundMe® kidney cancer campaigns were reviewed. The median goal funds were 10,000USD [IQR = 5000, 20,000] and the median amount raised was 1450USD [IQR = 578, 4050]. Most campaigns were for adult males (53%) and 62% of adults had children. A minority were for pediatric patients (17%). Thirty-seven percent of adult patients were primary wage earners and 43% reported losing their job or substantially reducing hours due to illness. Twenty-nine percent reported no insurance or insufficient coverage. Campaigns most frequently sought funds for medical bills (60%), nonmedical bills (27%), and medical travel (23%). Qualitative campaign narratives mostly emphasized patients' hardship (46.3%) or high moral character (35.2%). Only 8% of campaigns achieved their target funds. CONCLUSIONS: Despite fundraising efforts, patients with kidney cancer face persistent financial barriers, incurring both medical and nonmedical cost burdens. This may be compounded by limited or no insurance. Cancer care providers should be aware of financial constraints placed on kidney cancer patients, and consider how these may impact treatment regimens.

Contemporary Trends and End-Results of National Institutes of Health Grant Funding to Departments of Urology in the United States: A 10-year Analysis.

PURPOSE: We explored the patterns and distribution of National Institutes of Health grant funding for urological research in the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The National Institutes of Health RePORTER database was queried for all grants awarded to urology departments between 2010 and 2019. Information regarding the value of the grant, funded institution, successful publication of the research, and the category of urological subspecialty were collected. Data on principal investigators were extracted from publicly available information. RESULTS: There were 509 grants awarded to Urology between 2010 and 2019 for a total value of $640,873,867, and a median per-project value of $675,484 (IQR 344,170-1,369,385). Over the study period, total funding decreased by 15.6% and was lower compared to other surgical subspecialties. Most grants were awarded by the National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (85%) to Western or North Central institutions (52.5%), and had principal investigators specialized in urologic oncology (56.4%), followed by general urologists (21.5%). Female principal investigators led 21.6% of Urology grants and were more likely PhD basic scientists than males (64.4% vs 38.2%, p=0.001). In total, 10,404 publications linked to the 509 grants were produced, of which 28.5% were published in journals with an impact factor ≥10. CONCLUSIONS: Urology is underrepresented in National Institutes of Health grant funding compared to other surgical fields. During the past decade there was a further decrease in the total budget of National Institutes of Health grants to Urology.

Qualitative analysis of Amazon customer reviews of penile clamps for male urinary incontinence.

AIMS: Penile clamps offer an alternative to manage male urinary incontinence in patients who are unfit for surgery. Patient experience with penile clamps is poorly understood. Our study elucidates patient opinions on commercially available penile clamps and the factors that associate with favorable and unfavorable opinions. METHODS: We collected Amazon reviews of all penile clamps marketed for male urinary incontinence from November 2011 to January 2020 and qualitatively assessed the overall sentiment towards penile clamps, key praises and key complaints. Covariates such as designated Amazon star rating were further explored for association with coding patterns. RESULTS: Amazon reviews of penile clamps were found to be more positive (n = 425) in overall sentiment than negative (n = 294). The most frequent praise was effective incontinence control (n = 334) and the most frequent complaint was bad design or material (n = 166). The majority of reviews were for lower priced penile clamps, had higher Amazon star ratings, were written for Wiesner-produced clamps, and were written more recently (i.e., 2015-2020). Penile clamps with higher Amazon star ratings were more often coded positive and with a praise compared to lower rated penile clamps. CONCLUSIONS: Penile clamps are seen favorably by users as an effective treatment modality for male urinary incontinence. User reviews suggest opportunities for improvement in penile clamp design. The most frequently reviewed clamp seen positively is the Wiesner Incontinence Clamp Penile Clamp whereas the most frequently reviewed clamp seen negatively is the Pacey Cuff Male Incontinence Device.

Efecto de una intervención educativa nutricional en un entorno laboral / Effect of a nutrition educational intervention in a work environment

El objetivo fue evaluar el efecto de una intervención educativa nutricional en un entorno laboral. Para ello se realizó un estudio cuasi-experimental, longitudinal, con una intervención educacional de cuatro meses de duración. Participaron 90 trabajadores, 44 mujeres y 46 hombres, edad promedio 29,3 ± 5,4 años, de una empresa de telefonía celular de Asunción-Paraguay. Se efectuaron encuestas de datos clínicos, hábitos alimentarios, actividad física y mediciones antropométricas al inicio y final de la intervención. Para hábitos alimentarios se utilizaron el cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo cuantificado y el registro de consumo alimentario de una semana, ambos previamente validados y utilizados en otras investigaciones. La actividad física se estimó con el Cuestionario Internacional de Actividad Física IPAQ que divide a la misma en tres categorías (baja, moderada y alta). La antropometría incluyó peso, talla, IMC y circunferencia de cintura. La educación nutricional consistió en consultas de consejería individual, concurso para bajar de peso, acciones colectivas de apoyo e intervenciones del entorno del lugar de trabajo. La ingesta de frutas y verduras fue significativamente mayor (p<0,001 y p=0,001); el consumo de pan disminuyó en un 56% (p=0,001); mejoró el estado nutricional (p<0,001) y disminuyó la circunferencia de cintura (p<0,001) al final del estudio. Los niveles de actividad física moderado y alto aumentaron de 43,4% a 59%. Esta intervención integral en el lugar de trabajo, con un concurso para bajar de peso, mejoró el estado nutricional e impactó positivamente en el estilo de vida de los empleados(AU)

The objective is to evaluate a nutrition educational intervention in a work place. This is a quasi-experimental and four- month longitudinal study in 90 participants (44 women and 46 men), average age 29.3 ± 5.4 years, from a telephone company in Asunción, Paraguay. Anthropometry, nutritional assessment and physical activity evaluation were carried out at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. For food habits, a food frequency questionnaire and one-week food consumption registration system were applied, both validated and used previously in other studies. The level of physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) which divides physical intensity in three levels (low, moderate and high). Anthropometry included weight, height and waist circumference. Nutrition education consisted in individual lifestyle counseling, a contest to lose weight, collective support actions and environmental intervention at the work place. A significant increase of intakes of fruits and vegetables (p<0.001 y p= 0.001 respectively); a 56% reduction in bread consumption (p= 0.001); significantly (p<0.001) improvement of nutritional status, and waist circumference reduction (p<0.001) were observed al the end of the study. High and moderate physical activity improved from 43.4% to 59%. This integral nutrition intervention at the work place with a weight loss contest improved the nutritional status and had a positive impact in the workers life styles(AU)