Telehealth Applications in Urology: A Review

Abstract

Telehealth is an approach that enables the remote delivery of healthcare services through information and communication technologies and has been increasingly used in urology practice in recent years. This review summarizes current evidence on telehealth applications in prostate cancer, hematuria, urinary stone disease, urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections, and other benign urological conditions. Available studies indicate that, with appropriate patient selection, telehealth can achieve outcomes comparable to in-person evaluation in terms of patient satisfaction, clinical effectiveness, and follow-up success, while facilitating access to care by reducing travel time, cost, and productivity loss. However, important limitations remain, including conditions that require physical examination, technological infrastructure requirements, privacy and legal regulations, and limited evidence on long-term outcomes. Telehealth should be regarded as a complementary component of conventional urological care in appropriate indications. Further studies are needed to demonstrate its long-term effectiveness.