Abstract

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• INTRODUCTION:

  To describe the utility of the smartphone camera in patient management in urology.

  MATERIALS AND METHODS:

  Clinical scenarios were collected retrospectively in which photographs that were taken on smartphone and transmitted by multimedia messaging service (MMS) served an important role in making a diagnosis and/or helped in the self-monitoring of urologic issues by patients.

  RESULTS:

  Scenario 1 - a 39-year-old male that presented to the emergency room (ER) with scrotal pain, bruising, and swelling 1 day after bilateral vasectomy. The on call urologist requested that the ER physician send a photograph of the wound using his smartphone. After examining the photograph, the urologist concluded that the hematoma could be managed conservatively. Scenario 2 - a 40-year-old female who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor a month ago and had recurrence of gross hematuria. The surgeon asked the patient to monitor her urine color and to use her smartphone to periodically send a photograph of her urine until it turned clear.

  CONCLUSIONS:

  At our institution urology consults have been requested for postoperative patients owning to unfamiliarity with postoperative urology examination. By communicating with the on call urologist through MMS images of incisions or urine color, management of these patients has become more timely and efficient. Smartphone camera use can also decrease the in house time spent by on call residents, thus aiding in conforming to duty hours restrictions. Furthermore, this technology has potential for helping patients monitor their disease course, thus reducing hospital visits, anxiety, and healthcare costs.