Urologic Emergency Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

Summary The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented strain on health care systems throughout the world, requiring a delicate balance of providing appropriate and necessary health care while emphasizing public health preventative measures to minimize virus transmission This chapter reviews the initial response of urologists from a variety of settings, the impact on care delivery at several academic settings, as well as predications on the long-range impact of care deferral on population health Telemedicine evolved as an important means to sustain essential patient care during the pandemic, with additional benefits of protecting patients and healthcare providers and their staff from potential exposure Further research is needed on vulnerable populations that may have experienced greater impact from COVID-19 illness, access to telemedicine, as well as a larger burden of deferred care of non-emergent urologic conditions