[Taking digital healthcare to the next level: what practices and clinics need for digitalization!]

Abstract

Background: Digitalization in urology is bringing about profound changes. While artificial intelligence (AI)-supported diagnoses, telemedical consultations and electronic patient files offer promising advances, challenges remain in the areas of technical infrastructure, interoperability and data security.

Objective: The article examines the prerequisites that practices and clinics need for successful digitalization and the legal aspects that need to be taken into account to ensure the digital transformation.

Materials and methods: The analysis is based on the evaluation of statistics on the technical equipment of urological practices, the implementation of digital applications (e.g., electronic patient file [ePA], e‑prescription) and the use of AI technologies. This is supplemented by an assessment of the future development of digital systems and regulatory framework conditions.

Conclusion: Urology is proving to be a promising field for digitalization. The use of AI-supported diagnostic systems and (asynchronous) telemedicine services can significantly improve the quality of care. However, specialists must be specifically trained and the technical infrastructure created.