Deciding on Your Urologist

Maintaining your urological health is important and underlying urological conditions are more common than you might think. A delay in seeking medical attention could prolong the problem and even lead to more serious consequences, sometimes a life threatening situation. If you are a resident of London, you could save yourself from unnecessary stress by consulting an experienced and qualified urologist based in London.
There are many specialist urologists offering their services in London. Choosing one may prove to be a daunting task if you do not know what to expect from your urologist or how to choose one. Here is a list of things you may need to know while deciding on your urologist in London.

Professional Membership: Whether he/she is a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS), and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS), or equivalent nationally recognized professional body. Others professional societies include the European Association of Urology, the Royal Society of Medicine, the British Medical Association, and so on. Professional memberships reflect the credibility of a urologist practising in London. These professional associations aim at fostering education, research and clinical excellence to promote the highest standard in the field of urology and offer the greatest benefit to patients.

Qualification: He/she should be a qualified urologist with an FRCS (or equivalent) in urology. Training in urological oncology is also essential for treating urological cancers, and supplementary training providing additional experience in prostatic and pelvic surgery is a great advantage.

Experience: Experience is one of the most important criteria when deciding on your urologist in London or anywhere in the world. Because of the wide variety of urological symptoms and conditions, it is important to make sure that your consultant urological surgeon has a general urological practice as well as a specialist practice, such as in urological cancer. It is also important to know if he/she has experience in performing urological surgeries that you may require, including transurethral resection of prostate gland and bladder tumors, radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, radical cystectomy for bladder cancer, cystoscopy for bladder cancer, radical orchidectomy for testicular cancer, radical nephrectomy for kidney cancer, laser treatments for prostate enlargement (BPH), open pelvic surgery and endoscopic urological surgery. Most well known urologists in London specialize in particular surgeries.

Current Position and Appointment Held: You need to be sure that you can trust your urologist. A good way to judge this is by knowing about his/her current and past positions as a consultant urologist and/or urological surgeon in hospitals, medical colleges and academic institutes.

Clinical Practice: It is important to know the areas that are included in his/her clinical practice. This will help you know whether he/she has the necessary experience and expertise in treating a particular urological condition. An experienced urologist can usually provide treatment for a wide variety of urological conditions, including bladder cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, urinary infections, difficulties passing urine and erectile dysfunction (impotence). General urology, men's health, screening and testosterone deficiency may also be necessary for what you are looking.

Doing your research well before deciding on your urologist might make an important difference.