Urology in Undergraduate Medical Education.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Urology is an essential topic in undergraduate medical education (UME). The objective of this article is to review the current state of exposure to urology in medical school, to discuss why it is critical to maintain a urology curriculum, and to review methods in establishing an effective curriculum for all students with limited resources. RECENT FINDINGS: UME curriculum in urology should be geared toward the widest group of students, namely those entering primary care or internal medicine, where patients with urologic complaints are most likely to first present. Hands-on teaching should focus on skills such as the genitourinary exam and Foley catheter placement, while ancillary modules should be utilized for complex concepts. Medical schools do not sufficiently incorporate didactics in urology as part of their core curriculum. As such, educators in urology must develop curricula that provide fundamental knowledge to all students, especially those pursuing non-urologic specialties who will undoubtedly treat patients with urologic complaints.

Outcomes of upper tract urothelial cancer managed non-surgically.

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 7% of patients with localized upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) are treated without definitive therapy. Understanding outcomes and alternative therapy would aid in counseling older patients with comorbidities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We utilized the National Cancer Database to identify patients with localized UTUC managed non-surgically between 2004 and 2013. Patient demographics, comorbidity, tumor grade, and chemotherapy and radiation utilization were recorded. Survival analyses were performed with the Kaplan-Meier method and a cox proportional hazard regression model. RESULTS: We identified 3157 (10.9%) patients with localized UTUC who did not receive definitive surgery. Median age was 79 years, 55% were males, 79% had government health insurance, and 68% had a Charlson-Deyo Score (CDS) of 0. Tumor grade was low (grade 1 or 2) in 632 (36.4%) and high (grade 3 or 4) in 1104 (63.6%). Median overall survival (OS) for the cohort was 2.2 years, significantly shorter for patients with greater comorbidities. Chemotherapy or radiation was performed in 294 (9.3%) and 197 (6.3%) patients respectively. There were no OS differences for individuals receiving chemotherapy. Of patients who received radiation therapy, the median OS was 1.4 versus 2.0 years, (p < 0.001) favoring no radiation. Those with high grade tumors had worse survival (1.9 versus 3.8 years (p < 0.001). Significant predictors of shorter OS included older age, male gender, higher CDS, and government insurance. CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based cohort, 10.9% of patients with localized UTUC were managed non-surgically. There was no OS advantage noted in cohorts receiving chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Median OS was significantly shorter for those with higher grade disease, increasing comorbidity profile, male gender, and those with government insurance status.

Financial Toxicity among Patients with Bladder Cancer: Reasons for Delay in Care and Effect on Quality of Life.

PURPOSE: Costly surveillance and treatment of bladder cancer can lead to financial toxicity, a treatment related financial burden. Our objective was to define the prevalence of financial toxicity among patients with bladder cancer and identify delays in care and its effect on health related quality of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified patients with bladder cancer in the University of North Carolina Health Registry/Cancer Survivorship Cohort. Financial toxicity was defined as agreement with having "to pay more for medical care than you can afford." Health related quality of life was measured using general and cancer specific validated questionnaires. Statistical analyses were performed using the Fisher exact test and the Student t-test. RESULTS: A total of 138 patients with bladder cancer were evaluated. Median age was 66.9 years, 75% of the patients were male and 89% were white. Of the participants 33 (24%) endorsed financial toxicity. Participants who were younger (p = 0.02), black (p = 0.01), reported less than a college degree (p = 0.01) and had noninvasive disease (p = 0.04) were more likely to report financial toxicity. On multivariable analysis only age was a significant predictor of financial toxicity. Patients who endorsed financial toxicity were more likely to report delaying care (39% vs 23%, p = 0.07) due to the inability to take time off work or afford general expenses. On general health related quality of life questionnaires patients with financial toxicity reported worse physical and mental health (p = 0.03 and <0.01, respectively), and lower cancer specific health related quality of life (p = 0.01), physical well-being (p = 0.01) and functional well-being (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Financial toxicity is a major concern among patients with bladder cancer. Younger patients were more likely to experience financial toxicity. Those who endorsed financial toxicity experienced delays in care and poorer health related quality of life, suggesting that treatment costs should have an important role in medical decision making.

The effect of antidepressants on fertility.

BACKGROUND: Information on the effects of different pharmaceuticals on fertility is sparse. Human and animal models indicate that antidepressant use could have a negative effect on fertility through alteration of levels of the neurosteroid, allopregnanolone. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to assess the effects of antidepressants on the natural fertility in women. STUDY DESIGN: A secondary analysis of data from Time to Conceive, a prospective cohort study, was conducted. Women ages 30 to 44 years without a history of infertility, early in their attempts to conceive, were followed with standardized pregnancy testing until pregnancy was detected. Medication use was assessed at enrollment, daily for up to 4 months, and then monthly. For this analysis, discrete time regression models were created to calculate the association between antidepressant use and fecundability. Potential confounders-age, body mass index, caffeine, alcohol use, and education-were included in all models. RESULTS: Ninety-two (9.6%) of 957 women reported antidepressant use while attempting to conceive. Women taking antidepressants were more likely to be non-Hispanic Caucasian (91% vs 75%, P < .01) and to consume alcoholic beverages (74% vs 61%, P < .01). Antidepressant use at enrollment had an adjusted fecundability ratio (FR) of 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63-1.20). However, time-varying analyses suggested that antidepressant use in a given cycle is associated with a reduced probability of conceiving in that cycle (adjusted FR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.53-1.06). After adjusting for history of depression or restricting the analysis to women who reported a history of depression, the association between antidepressant use and decreased fecundability remained [adjusted FR, 0.66 (95% CI, 0.45-0.97) and (adjusted FR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.43-0.94), respectively]. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that antidepressants may reduce the probability of a woman with a history of depression to conceive naturally. Future studies are needed to differentiate the extent to which this association is due to the antidepressant itself versus the underlying depression.

Implementation of a health system intervention to reduce time from presentation to surgical intervention for pediatric testicular torsion.

PURPOSE: Testicular salvage rates for torsion are time-dependent1. Door to detorsion time has been identified as an independent testicular survival factor2. We describe an initiative to reduce door to incision (DTI) time for pediatric testicular torsion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An institutional multidisciplinary quality improvement initiative with a primary outcome of reducing DTI time for pediatric testicular torsion was developed with multidisciplinary stakeholders. Several process and balancing measures were used as secondary outcomes to help interpret and verify the observed change in DTI time. Interventions were implemented in cycles. Initial interventions standardized assessment of suspected torsion by Emergency Medicine utilizing a validated scoring system. A threshold Testicular Workup for Ischemia and Suspected Torsion (TWIST) score led to parallel notification of essential services for rapid assessment and case prioritization3. Subsequently, bedside ultrasound in the Emergency Department was implemented. Progress was tracked in a live dashboard and analyzed with X-mR process control charts and Nelson rules. These tools are used in quality improvement and process control to demonstrate the significance of changes as they are being implemented, prior to when traditional hypothesis testing would be able to do so. We aimed to increase the proportion of cases with DTI times under 4 h from 64% to >90% within one year. RESULTS: We observed 22 torsion cases prior to and 62 following initial implementation. The percentage of cases with DTI times under 4 h improved from 64% to 95%. At week 29, a shift identified a significant change on the X chart, with reduction in mean DTI time from 221 to 147 min. At the same time, a shift on the mR chart identified reduction in patient-to-patient variation. Mean time from arrival to Urology evaluation decreased from 140 to 56 min, mean time from arrival to scrotal ultrasound decreased from 70 to 36 min, and mean time from scrotal ultrasound to surgical incision decreased from 128 to 80 min. These improvements highlight the two key successes of our project: application of the TWIST score and bedside ultrasound for rapid assessment of suspected testicular torsions, and parallel processing of the evaluation and management. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a protocol for pediatric testicular torsion increased the proportion of cases with DTI time <4 h to 95%, decreased mean DTI time, and decreased variation. Our protocol provides a model to improve timeliness of care in treating pediatric testicular torsion.

Vesical clear cell adenocarcinoma of Müllerian origin treated conservatively with partial cystectomy.

A 71-year-old woman presented with an intravesical bladder mass found to be a clear cell adenocarcinoma of Müllerian origin with positive PAX-8 staining after transurethral resection. Partial cystectomy along with total hysterectomy were performed, and final pathology revealed no residual tumour and extensive endometriosis. She declined adjuvant therapy and was dispositioned to surveillance.

Pregnancy in physicians: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The personal health and professional impact of physician pregnancy requires further study. We performed a comprehensive scoping review of physician pregnancy to synthesize and assess the evidence to aid decision-making for relevant stakeholders. METHODS: A search of 7 databases resulted in 3733 citations. 407 manuscripts were included and scored for evidence level. Data were extracted into themes using template analysis. RESULTS: Physician pregnancy impacted colleagues through perceived increased workload and resulted in persistent stigmatization and discrimination despite work productivity and academic metrics being independent of pregnancy events. Maternity leave policies were inconsistent and largely unsatisfactory. Women physicians incurred occupational hazard risk and had high rates of childbearing delay, abortion, and fertility treatment; obstetric and fetal complication rates compared to controls are conflicting. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive literature review found that physician pregnancy impacts colleagues, elicits negative perceptions of productivity, and is inadequately addressed by current parental leave policies. Data are poor and insufficient to definitively determine the impact of physician pregnancy on maternal and fetal health. Prospective risk-matched observational studies of physician pregnancy should be pursued.

The Medical Community's Evolving Focus on Physician and Surgeon Pregnancy: Thematic Trends From a Scoping Review.

PURPOSE: The authors aimed to chronicle the evolution of the medical community's study of physician and surgeon pregnancy by investigating thematic trends in the literature in the context of pertinent sociopolitical events. METHOD: A scoping review was conducted in Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection from inception through August 11, 2020, using vocabulary and terms for physicians (including surgeons), pregnancy, and family leave. Study populations were categorized by all physician specialties or exclusively surgical specialties as well as by all career levels or exclusively trainees. Subthemes and themes were based on a priori assumptions of physician pregnancy and extrapolated from previously published reviews, respectively. Thematic trends were analyzed by plotting the total number of publications and the frequency of themes and subthemes by publication year. RESULTS: After title and abstract and full-text reviews, 407 manuscripts met inclusion criteria. Publications on physician pregnancy first emerged in the 1960s and surged from 1988 to 1996 and again from 2010 to 2019. The first known manuscript exclusively on surgeon pregnancy was published in 1991; subsequent publication frequency trends for surgeon pregnancy generally paralleled those for all physician pregnancy publications albeit in reduced quantities. Four major themes were found: impact of pregnancy on the physician and her colleagues, pregnant physician work productivity, physician maternity leave policies, and physician maternal-fetal health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: As the number of women physicians increased and the sociopolitical environment progressed, the thematic focus of the literature on physician pregnancy evolved. Multi-institutional prospective observational studies are needed to develop definitive evidence-based recommendations that will positively impact physician pregnancy.