[Urological care in practices and clinics during the corona virus pandemic in Germany]

The coronavirus pandemic has had an immediate and far-reaching effect on the care of urological patients. The pandemic monitor of the German Society for Urology was able to record the restrictions on patient care in urological practices and clinics by means of regular surveys of the members. A total of 689 responses at four survey time points were included. In April there was a reduction in urological inpatients to 44% and the number of patients in practices dropped to 50%. Available operating theater capacities for urological patients were 45% in April, normalized to 90% in June and fell again to 50% in December. Elective operations could not be performed at all or only to a very limited extent in most hospitals in April and December. While urgent operations could be treated to 100% in more than 75% of the clinics in April, in December more than half of the clinics stated that they could not treat all patients with urgent indications. To some extent (8-19%) practices and clinics had to resort to a pandemic-related supraregional referral of patients. The reduction of outpatients in urological practices in April normalized to 95% in June and remained stable during the second wave of the pandemic. The increase in urological emergencies in practices observed at the beginning of the pandemic did not show up in November and December. The coronavirus pandemic has led to a significant reduction in the care of urological patients, which in particular in the second wave also affects urgent operations.