Back to Search Start Over

Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Erectile Dysfunction by Urologists Versus Non-Urologists in the United States: An Analysis of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey

Authors :
Nelson E. Bennett
Evan J. Panken
Brian T. Helfand
James A. Kashanian
Richard J. Fantus
Robert E. Brannigan
Joshua A. Halpern
Cecilia Chang
Source :
Urology. 147:167-171
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
Elsevier BV, 2021.

Abstract

Objectives To evaluate the extent to which erectile dysfunction (ED) is managed by urologists versus non-urologists. We sought to characterize the epidemiology, diagnosis, and outpatient treatment of ED using a nationally representative cohort. Methods We examined all male patient visits between 2006 and 2016 in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a survey designed to provide a nationally representative estimate of ambulatory visits in the United States. Distribution of ED diagnoses among physician specialties was determined. Demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics of men with ED seeing urologists versus non-urologists were compared using chi-squared tests. Results Among the 170,499 patient visits analyzed, 1.2% were associated with a diagnosis of ED, which translated into 3,409,244 weighted visits annually. Visits for ED were predominantly seen by urologists (58.0%) and family practitioners (26.2%). Men visiting non-urologists for ED were more likely to be younger than 65 (77.4% vs 52.9%, P Conclusion Almost half of all ED visits were seen by non-urologist providers, who were much less likely than urologists to order advanced pharmacologic therapies. This difference in prescribing patterns presents an opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration and education to ensure that all patients seeking treatment for ED are receiving guideline-based care.

Details

ISSN :
00904295
Volume :
147
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Urology
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........5c7398b007d5c50bd33c96adc10f3dc0
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2020.09.016