Understanding the role of surveys in modern urology: an insight into survey trends over the decades

INTRODUCTION: To provide a comprehensive review of survey trends in urology, aiming to provide insight into changes in publication in the new millennium. Surveys in healthcare allow for a better understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, and practice patterns as well as gaps in healthcare systems.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A comprehensive review of all "surveys in urology answered by urologists" was performed through the PubMed and Scopus databases, according to the SPICE framework. Included surveys were divided according to the subject: "Uro-oncology", "Urolithiasis", "Mental health" "Resident training", and "Miscellaneous". Publications were then divided into 2 main periods: Period-1 (2000-2011) and Period-2 (2012-2023).

RESULTS: A total of 361 surveys have been published since 2000, with a significant overall increasing trend in the recent decade (p <0.001). A significantly increasing focus is seen for publications on resident training (n = 86; +660%; p = 0.003), mental health (n = 31; +650%; p = 0.001), urolithiasis (n = 40; +371%; p = 0.002), and uro-oncology (n = 94; +230%, p ≤0.001). In subanalysis, the largest increase in publications was noted for surveys on radical prostatectomy (+175%, p = 0.024), surgical treatment of urolithiasis (+320%, p = 0.040), quality of resident education (+483%, p <0.001), and personal satisfaction with resident training (+500%, p = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS: Over the decades, surveys have served as an effective interactive tool for urologists to engage and investigate different aspects of practice and training across sub-specialties. In modern times, better evaluation tools integrated with AI will provide a bigger platform for urologists to use surveys as part of their armamentarium to address and evaluate not only clinical practices but also emotional challenges, training needs, and inequalities that hinder progress in urology.