title: A survey of ethically challenging issues in urological practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We surveyed ethical attitudes among urological and nonurological practitioners, allowing for thought and discussion regarding ethical issues in a larger audience.
  
  
  METHODS
  With input from an academic urologist, a senior medical student and a hospital ethics committee member, a survey was created which asked for multiple choice responses to 3 demographic questions (practice type, age, location) and 10 ethically challenging clinical questions. Surveys were distributed online or via mail to 5 groups including academic urologists, urologists in private practice, medical students, hospital risk managers/attorneys and members of a bioethical society. Surveys were analyzed according to demographic variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Surveys were sent out to 1,447 individuals and 340 responses were received (24%). There were statistically significant differences in the responses to several questions based on practice type, age and practice location. There was a lack of consistency in answer choices with greater than 50% agreeing on a single answer choice for only 4 of 10 questions (40%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study to our knowledge which attempts to objectively categorize ethical attitudes in a broad based survey of urologists and nonurologists, and challenges members of our profession to study their own responses to these ethical issues.
authors.affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, Virginia, USA. apklausner@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Adam P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Klausner
authors.forename: Ashley B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Velasquez
authors.forename: Aaron B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Stike
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boone
authors.forename: Laurel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lyckholm
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wolfe
authors.forename: Harry P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Koo
mesh_terms: D026688:Bioethical Issues; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000941:ethics*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014572:Urology / Q000941:ethics*