[Healthcare research in urology: state of the art 2013]

In a field of medicine with fluid boundaries between the sectors and between the productive faculties, healthcare research is an indispensible responsibility of all participants. This can only be successful in improving the treatment quality of patients in the long-term by analysis of the treatment reality in routine daily work. This can be achieved by a closer cooperation between urologists in private practice and in hospitals in order to have a better definition of mutual treatment targets, to optimize therapy and to make a better analysis of target achievements. The importance of urologists in all fields of medical care and also for superordinate committees can only be visibly presented by the production of comprehensive objective figures and therefore to guarantee the long-term procurement of necessary resources.