[Artificial intelligence in daily urological care: results of the AI barometer]

Urological care in Germany is undergoing transformation, while novel technologies with artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to automate processes and support caregivers. The aim was therefore to systematically describe workload, current AI use, as well as trust and expectations within the context of the current healthcare landscape.

Nationwide anonymous cross-sectional survey conducted from January to April 2026 among professionals in urological care. Analysis was exploratory and descriptive.

A total of 433 participants responded, predominantly physicians. Increased patient volume was reported by 79%, and 69% stated that available time was insufficient for high-quality care. Administrative and documentation-related burden was identified as the main driver of time pressure by 93,1%. General-purpose AI tools were used substantially more often than clinic-specific applications. While 74,6% reported both private and/or professional AI use, certified medical AI applications were rarely used. Current use focused on information- and text-based tasks such as information retrieval, translation, and text drafting. At the same time, substantial unmet demand was observed, particularly for coding, documentation, imaging analysis, and medication management. Key prerequisites included verifiable output quality (82,4%), evidence-based data sources (72,1%), clear regulatory frameworks (70,0%), and integration into information infrastructures (63,7%). In all, 75,1% expected future time savings through AI.

Urological care is perceived by respondents as increasingly intensified. AI is already widely used, but currently mainly in the form of general-purpose applications. The findings also indicate an unmet need for AI applications for selected small-scale routine tasks, particularly if requirements for quality, transparency, and governance are met.