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Assessment and maintenance of competence in urology

Nature Reviews Urology volume 7, pages 403–413 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

Urology is becoming increasingly reliant on inter-disciplinary collaboration. As a result of this interaction and developments in technology, the existing system of training, certification and recertification needs revision. The skill-set required of urologists has become multidimensional. As the field of urology continues to evolve, the recognition of the need for objective and efficient certification for trainees and a recertification program for specialists has increased. Training programs need to provide a curriculum focused on knowledge, communication, cognitive and technical skills, with the inclusion of simulation-based training. For specialists, the benefits of teaching through mentorship should be evaluated, and outcome-based assessment of patient morbidity and mortality needs to be further developed and validated.

Key Points

  • A competent urologist should be able to demonstrate excellence in patient safety, professionalism, team working, knowledge and technical skills

  • Certification and recertification are the processes within the medical profession that aim to ensure quality of patient care

  • Objective assessment of competence and continuing medical education should be closely linked during certification and recertification

  • Further research is required to identify and develop tools with the highest level of validity and reliability for training and assessment of technical and nontechnical skills

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Acknowledgements

A. Darzi and T. Athanasiou acknowledge their role in the Revalidation Project, which is funded by the UK General Medical Council and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. This article reflects these authors' views only, based on their research conducted at Imperial College London, UK. P. Dasgupta acknowledges financial research support from the Department of Health via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) comprehensive Biomedical Research Center award to Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with King's College London and King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biosurgery & Surgical Technology, Imperial College London, St. Mary's Hospital Campus, Praed Street, W2 1NY, London, UK

    Kamran Ahmed, Muhammed Jawad, Ara Darzi & Thanos Athanasiou

  2. Department of Urology, King's College London, Urology Center, Guy's Hospital Campus, St. Thomas Street, SE1 9RT, London, UK

    Prokar Dasgupta & Mohammad Shamim Khan

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  1. Kamran Ahmed
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Correspondence to Kamran Ahmed.

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Ahmed, K., Jawad, M., Dasgupta, P. et al. Assessment and maintenance of competence in urology. Nat Rev Urol 7, 403–413 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2010.81

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