[Teaching outpatient medicine at urological congresses]

In Germany there is a two-track system for treatment of patients by specialists: severe diseases are treated in hospitals, less severe ones in outpatient practices/physicians' offices. Further training of specialist physicians must take both points of view into consideration. This task is not easy because specialists from university are most suitable as teachers, but they seldom have their own experience with the patients in outpatient offices (Praxis) and their less severe problems. The aim of this investigation was carry out an analysis of relevant structures, to improve them and to develop a new kind of further training. Our own data quantify the differences between these institutions with regard to the severity of the disease and the diagnosis. Topics of outpatient medicine are insufficiently represented in traditional congresses and doctors with outpatient practices too seldom take part in these congresses. They were questioned about their wishes with regard to topics of training/education, suitable dates and organisational structures. Practicing urologists expressed a desire for science and hints for outpatient medicine, organised in the form of seminars. Our way to organise such seminars, planned and conducted by urologists in outpatient practices is described and discussed and we report our experience.