Thought Leadership

Why Your Bottled Water Choice Matters

Increasing water intake is the most important lifestyle change recommended to kidney stone patients. However, a new study suggests that patients should consider paying attention to the quality of water that they are drinking as well.

Stoots et al. found that some bottled water contain up to 579 mg of calcium per litre. By consuming water with such high calcium content, patients may be at higher risk of forming calcium oxalate stones.

Urologists, advising patients about making the right bottled water choices may help them prevent stone formation.

Tips for urologists

Why Female Patients May Benefit from Lower Threshold for Treatment

Should we have a lower threshold for treatment of female kidney stone patients? A study of 231 patients by Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust suggest so.

Even though female patients only made up 35.5% of the cohort, they were significantly more likely to present with urosepsis or acute kidney infection, require longer hospital stays and were 20 times more likely to be admitted into the intensive care unit, as compared to men. Urologists should take these factors into account when assessing the suitability of conservative management for female patients.

Patient Perspectives

Despite Dislodgement Risks, Patients Are Requesting for the Smallest Stent Available

Stent discomfort is a common complaint among kidney stone patients, but did you know that some patients have resorted to requesting for excessively small stents?

Several members of our patient community tried persuading their urologists to use the smallest stent available, in hopes of minimizing discomfort. However, incorrectly sized stents pose higher risks of dislodging, which may require complicated surgical procedures to retrieve.

Some urologists select stents based on their patients’ body height and physique*. How do you determine the ideal stent size for your patient?

Patient Perspectives

Concerns About CT Radiation Grow as Medical Misinformation Strike Fear Into Patients

With easy access to health information online, patients today are more informed and empowered than ever. Medical misinformation, however, has stoked new anxieties, including fears about diagnostic radiation.

Several members of our kidney stone patient community have expressed concern about their doctors ordering multiple CT scans for their kidney stones, within a year. Urologists, it may help to inform patients about how their treatment plans abide by ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Acceptable) guidelines, especially with new imaging technologies that minimize radiation exposure #Dornier5G.

Gain more insights from the world’s fastest-growing kidney stone patient community, with more than 200,000 members.

Patient Perspectives

Unaware of Antibiotic Resistance Risks, Patients Are Stopping Them Too Early

Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health crisis with severe implications for clinical management in medicine, including urology. Alarmingly, many patients from our kidney stone community have admitted to stopping their antibiotics early!

Urologists, remind patients to complete their course of antibiotics or risk becoming septic, developing organ dysfunction, and contracting lethal infections*!

*Source: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) / Antibiotic Resistance – Sepsis Alliance

Tips for urologists

Tackling Physician Burnout Among Urologists

With a burnout rate of 49%, urology consistently ranks among the top five specialties with the worst levels of depression*. As we commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day, we need to ask ourselves if this is sustainable.

According to a study published in Urology® (the Gold Journal), burnout manifests as low personal achievement, depersonalization and emotional exhaustion among urologists. Unmanaged, it led to more medical errors and poorer quality of patient care. Coping mechanisms such as stress eating and alcohol consumption were associated with higher levels of burnout!

Head out for a walk with a friend instead. By doing so, you’re helping both your patients and yourself.

*According to the Medscape Physician Burnout and Suicide Report (2021)

Search

Why Your Bottled Water Choice Matters

Why Female Patients May Benefit from Lower Threshold for Treatment

Despite Dislodgement Risks, Patients Are Requesting for the Smallest Stent Available

Concerns About CT Radiation Grow as Medical Misinformation Strike Fear Into Patients

Unaware of Antibiotic Resistance Risks, Patients Are Stopping Them Too Early

Tackling Physician Burnout Among Urologists

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