Health Services Research
Overlapping Urological Surgeries at a Tertiary Academic Center
To evaluate whether the practice of procedure-time overlapping surgery (OS) is associated with inferior outcomes compared to nonoverlapping surgery (NOS) in urology, to address the paucity of data surrounding urologic surgeries to support or refute this practice.Implementation of Postoperative Standard Opioid Prescribing Schedules Reduces Opioid Prescriptions Without Change in Patient-reported Pain Outcomes
To implement Standard Opioid Prescribing Schedules (SOPS) based on opioid use following urologic surgeries and to evaluate how evidence-based prescribing schedules affect opioid use and patient reported outcomes.Promotional Payments Made to Urologists by the Pharmaceutical Industry and Prescribing Patterns for Targeted Therapies
To measure the association between market-level promotional payments to urologists by the manufacturers of abiraterone and enzalutamide and national prescribing patterns.How the COVID-19 Wave Changed Emergency Urology: Results From an Academic Tertiary Referral Hospital in the Epicentre of the Italian Red Zone
To quantify and characterize the burden of urological patients admitted to emergency department (ED) in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 outbreak, comparing it to a reference population from 2019.Comparing Costs of Radical Versus Partial Cystectomy for Patients Diagnosed With Localized Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Understanding the Value of Surgical Care
To compare costs associated with radical versus partial cystectomy. Prior studies noted substantial costs associated with radical cystectomy, however, they lack surgical comparison to partial cystectomy.The Impact of Hospital Volume on Short-term and Long-term Outcomes for Patients Undergoing Radical Nephroureterectomy for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma
To examine the effect of hospital volume on short and long-term outcomes for radical nephroureterectomy (RNUx). Upper tract urothelial carcinoma is a rare malignancy that few surgeons have experience with. The hospital volume-outcome relationship has been well established for other cancers but not RNUx.Publication of Positive Studies in the Urologic Literature
To assessed rates of positive publications within the urologic literature, comparing the years 2012 and 2017.Hip Joint Pathology Among Men Referred to Urology for Chronic Orchialgia: A Source for Misdiagnosis and Opportunity for Quality Improvement
To evaluate the findings of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the ipsilateral hip(s) as part of the workup of men with chronic orchialgia (CO).Variations in Perioperative Antibiotic Prescriptions Among Academic Urologists After Ambulatory Endoscopic Urologic Surgery: Impact on Infection Rates and Validation of 2019 Best Practice Statement
To evaluate adherence to the American Urologic Association (AUA) best practice statement guidelines regarding antibiotic duration in the perioperative setting for endoscopic urologic surgery. We assessed concordance to these guidelines among adult urologists at a single academic institution and its correlation with postoperative positive urine cultures as it relates to the revised 2019 best practice statement.The Feasibility and Impact of a Presurgical Exercise Intervention Program (Prehabilitation) for Patients Undergoing Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer
To assess the feasibility of a prehabilitation program for cystectomy patients and to determine the effectiveness of the program in improving strength and functional capacity in the peri-operative period.A Clinical Reminder Order Check Intervention to Improve Guideline-concordant Imaging Practices for Men With Prostate Cancer: A Pilot Study
To understand how to potentially improve inappropriate prostate cancer imaging rates we used National Comprehensive Cancer Network's guidelines to design and implement a Clinical Reminder Order Check (CROC) that alerts ordering providers of potentially inappropriate imaging orders in real-time based on patient features of men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer.Stakeholder Perspective on Opioid Stewardship After Prostatectomy: Evaluating Barriers and Facilitators From the Pennsylvania Urology Regional Collaborative
To evaluate existing practice patterns and potential barriers to implementing opioid stewardship protocols after robot-assisted prostatectomies among providers in the Pennsylvania Urology Regional Collaborative.Incidence and Associated Risk Factors of Venous Thromboembolism After Open and Laparoscopic Nephrectomy in Patients Administered Short-period Thromboprophylaxis: A Danish Nationwide Population-based Cohort Study
To report the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after nephrectomy in Denmark and explore associated risk factors.Optimal Cystectomy Outcome: A Composite Measurement Evaluating Quality of Care and Mortality Benefit
To evaluate the incidence and impact of an “optimal cystectomy outcome” (OCO), a simplified performance metric that encompasses multiple patient-centered outcomes.Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome as a Potential Cause of Nocturia in Younger Adults
To investigate the impact of age on the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), nocturia, and other lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTSs).Implementation of a Dedicated Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) Program for Radical Cystectomy Patients is Associated With Decreased Postoperative Inpatient Opioid Usage and Pain Scores
To measure differences in post-operative opioid usage and pain scores between pre- and post-Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) radical cystectomy (RC) patients in an effort to optimize outcomes.Treatment Setting Influences Treatment Modality for Urinary Stone Disease
To determine whether selection of treatment modality for urinary stone disease differs between primary and outreach healthcare centers, and if patient rurality predicts treatment modality.RUC Operative Time Estimates are Inaccurate, Resulting in Decreased Work RVU Assignments for Longer Urologic Procedures
To assess whether inaccurate operative time estimates utilized by the Relative Value Update Committee (RUC) contribute to the undervaluation of longer urologic procedures.Reframing Financial Incentives Around Reducing Readmission After Radical Cystectomy
To better understand the financial implications of readmission after radical cystectomy, an expensive surgery coupled with a high readmission rate. Currently, whether hospitals benefit financially from readmissions after radical cystectomy remains unclear, and potentially obscures incentives to invest in readmission reduction efforts.Regional Variation in Penile Prosthesis Utilization among Medicare Patients with Erectile Dysfunction
To characterize penile prosthesis surgery utilization and assess for regional differences in the use of this procedure across the United States.Day Temperature Difference and Aggravation of Low Urinary Tract Symptom in Benign Prostate Hypertrophy Patients in Korea: A National Health Insurance Service-National Cohort-based Study
To investigate the symptom deterioration of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) according to the difference in daily temperature.The Influence of an Electronic Medical Record Embedded Best Practice Alert on Rate of Hospital Acquired Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections: Do Best Practice Alerts Reduce CAUTIs?
To understand if an electronic medical record embedded best practice alert decreased our hospital's Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) and catheter utilization (CU) rates.Costing Urologic Complications Following Pelvic Radiation Therapy
To describe patients presenting with urologic complications following pelvic radiation therapy and estimate the financial costs incurred in their treatment.Patterns of Industry Payments to Urologists From 2014-2018
To evaluate the patterns of financial transaction between industry and urologists in the first 5 years of reporting in the Open Payments Program (OPP) by comparing transactions over time, between academic and nonacademic urologists, and by provider characteristics among academic urologists.Strong Conflict of Interest Policies are not Associated With Decreased Industry Payments to Academic Urology Departments
To identify whether institutions with strong conflicts of interest (COI) policies receive less industry payments than those with weaker policies. While industry-physician interactions can have collaborative benefits, financial COI can undermine preservation of the integrity of professional judgment and public trust. To address this concern, academic institutions have adopted COI policies. It is unclear whether the strength of COI policy correlates with industry payments in urology.
