Foreward
from the Editor
My
purpose in writing a urology manual for primary care physicians
is to continue fulfilling my role as a consultant and educator.
In addition to being available for referrals and providing
definitive opinions about urinary disease, urologists today
have another goal: to serve as educators both for our patients
and for the wider medical community.
Over
the last decade, primary care physicians have been offered
an increasing choice of pharmacological options to treat various
urological diseases; however, they have not had the opportunity
to receive focused training about these diseases. Consequently,
through the experience of practice they have acquired the
necessary knowledge to initiate diagnosis, and in some cases
treatment of these diseases. Yet primary care physicians may
not be as familiar as urologists with the supporting “tools
of the trade,” and are thus unable to utilize as broad
a database for decision-making.
This manual should help define some of the urologist’s
tools for primary care physicians. The initial topics in this
primer edition include bladder outlet obstruction, prostatitis,
and overactive bladder, several common urological conditions
often encountered in primary care. Future chapters will discuss
subjects such as erectile dysfunction, geriatric urology,
urinary stone disease, hematuria, and urinary tract infection.
It is my sincere hope that primary care physicians will find
“Urology for Primary Care” to be of practical
use.
Richard
S. Pelman, M.D.
Associate of Bellevue Urology Associates Inc., Bellevue, Washington
Clinical Professor of Urology, University of Washington School
of Medicine
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