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FROM THE AUA SCIENCE & QUALITY COUNCIL: The National Urology Quality Agenda: Priorities and Strategies
By: Matthew E. Nielsen, MD, MS, FACS, Chair, AUA Science & Quality Council | Posted on: 08 Nov 2024
Earlier this year, the AUA board of directors approved the National Quality Agenda and Strategies for Urologic Practice.1 This document defines a broad and ambitious roadmap for the next decade that fulfills our mission, builds on our current activities and strengths, and refines our efforts and focus to support alignment with health systems, other physician specialties, our specialty board, and the needs and expectations of our clinicians and their patients. The development of this quality agenda and execution of its strategies also reflects the AUA’s collaboration with the American Board of Urology to address 2 new American Board of Medical Specialties standards designed to foster improvements in care quality through continuing certification activities.
The 6 priorities included in the quality agenda represent what we believe to be the most pressing concerns for urology, thus serving as the lenses through which future quality-related activities will be developed and implemented. The Table presents key opportunities for addressing the priorities and provides examples of activities that are already underway.
Table. AUA’s National Quality Agenda: Key Priorities and Opportunities
| Priority | Key opportunities | S&Q examples |
|---|---|---|
| Addressing health disparities and promoting equitable care in urology | • Focus on equity in access to urologic care • Reduce disparities in prostate cancer screening and outcomes • Promote cultural competence in urologic practice |
• 2024 Data Research Program project on regional variation in prostate biopsies |
| Improving patient safety | • Reduce surgical complications and adverse events from urologic procedures • Promote medication safety • Decrease diagnostic delays • Improve transitions in care |
• AUA urology-specific measures in the AQUA Registry (eg, AQUA8: prostate biopsy complications) |
| Enhancing diagnostic excellence | • Focus on urologic conditions where there is substantive overlap in provider specialties • Focus on issues related to access to, and accuracy in, diagnosis of bladder and prostate cancer • Focus on issues related to advances in the diagnosis of kidney stones |
• PSA screening resources designed for primary care providers • Upcoming QI Summit on Prostate MRI and Fusion Biopsy |
| Promoting person-centered care | • Promote shared decision-making in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment • Elicit and address sexual health concerns • Support quality of life for those with urologic conditions • Recognize financial toxicity as a barrier to care access and treatment adherence |
• AUA Clinical Practice Guideline on Erectile Dysfunction |
| Promoting value in urologic care | • Develop and implement urology-specific performance measures • Educate providers on how to consider cost when providing care |
• 2023 QI Summit on Telehealth |
| Promoting joy in work | • Advocate for legislative efforts to ease workforce frustrations • Ascertain key priorities via AUA’s Annual Census • Provide opportunities to engage in meaningful professional activities • Distribute relevant and user-friendly information and resources |
• Burnout questions in the 2016, 2021, and 2023 AUA Annual Census |
| Abbreviations: AQUA Registry, AUA Quality Registry; QI, quality improvement. | ||
We will employ 4 key strategies to address the 6 priorities:
- Systematically Assess Quality Concerns in Urology through the development of quality improvement issue briefs covering various urologic conditions and crosscutting concepts such as surgical complications and burnout.
- Promote the Science and Practice of Quality Improvement through the development of educational resources (eg, how to do quality improvement) and performance measures.
- Integrating and Aligning Quality Within the Specialty at Large by strengthening and expanding relationships with urology societies and AUA’s sections, committees, councils, and members.
- Collaborating With Urology-Adjacent Stakeholders to Promote High-Quality Urologic Care by actively engaging with other medical specialty societies, health care organizations, and quality improvement experts.
By focusing our efforts on these priorities and strategies, the AUA will continue to play a pivotal role in driving improvements in urologic care, enhancing patient outcomes, and contributing to the overall improvement of health care.
Please reach out to me personally (mnielsen@med.unc.edu) or contact the AUA Quality and Measurement team (quality@auanet.org) to share recommendations or receive additional information about addressing the priorities and strategies included in the AUA National Quality Agenda and Strategies for Urologic Practice.
- American Urological Association. National Quality Agenda and Strategies for Urologic Practice. 2024. Accessed September 6, 2024. https://www.auanet.org/documents/Quality/National%20Quality%20Agenda%20and%20Strategies%20for%20Urologic%20Practice.pdf
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