The Urology Care Foundation™ – Quality Online Patient Education Resources

For the past several years, I have been interested in developing Internet-based educational resources for my urology  patients.  I know that I am not alone in this interest. In an effort to supplement the discussions that take place in the office, we all want to be able to provide our patients with quality education materials.

Finding reliable health care information on the Internet, however, can be quite a challenge.  Much of the information I see patients bring into the office from the Internet is, in reality, product marketing under the guise of health care information. Patients who are in pain, or who are struggling to get answers to their health care problems, can be very susceptible to this type of marketing.

More than once, I have spent an entire office visit trying to explain to a patient why an article that they read on the Internet does not represent the treatment standard of care in Urology.

The Urology Care Foundation™

I recently became aware of an excellent online patient education resource for urology patients. The Urology Care Foundation™ has created a  robust set of educational materials for patients based upon the guidelines of the American Urological Association (AUA). These materials are specifically designed to promote communication between patients and their health care providers. At the present time, the Urology Care Foundation™ has prepared patient educational materials for over 140 urological conditions. For patient convience, these materials are arranged in alphabetical order.

Having these resources online, and thus readily accessible, gives patients the opportunity to review them prior to their first office visit. The materials can then serve as a great starting point for both patients and physicians as they begin their conversation about specific urological conditions and treatment options. Patients can also choose to review these materials following a urology office visit – an exercise that often helps to reinforce the important “take home points” from that office visit.

Having previously reviewed a multitude of online resources, I am very impressed with the work that the Urology Care Foundation™ has done on behalf of physicans for our patients.

The Foundation has created content that can be easily accessed. The information is based on the guidelines that urologists are familiar with, and use on a regular basis. Being funded by donations, the Foundation created these materials without relying on revenue from advertising. In the final analysis, in an age where almost anyone can publish anything on the Internet under the guise of health care information, its good to know that there is an online patient eduation tool urologists can recommend to their patients with confidence.

The Urology Care Foundation™ Social Media

In addition to the patient educational materials present on their website, you can learn about the Urology Care Foundation’s ongoing public health campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

“The Urology Care Foundation is a dedicated leader in advancing urologic research and education to improve patients’ lives.”