[Educational research in urology : Innovations for improving training].

Educational research (ER) should be defined as the motivated guidance of residents to be involved and to conduct structured research. ER does not only pursue the goal to promote residents for an academic career but it also concentrates on the improvement of residency in general. Based on the data of national and international studies lack of time, enthusiastic mentors and financial resources represent the most significant obstacles to realize concepts of dedicated ER. The current article highlights options to improving ER with a structured curriculum starting in medical school and extending to board examination and fellowship training. Three staged concepts should be continuously integrated into residency programs: (1) ER to improve individual competence in urology, (2) clinical and patient-oriented ER, (3) ER to realize academic career. Concept 1 includes scholarly aligned M&M conferences, journal clubs, OR workshops, tumor boards, visiting professors. Concept 2 includes the scientific analysis of well circumscribed questions concerning site-specific medical strategies in the context of the current literature. Concept 3 requires continuous and reliable communication between the residents and their mentors. It also requires a well-structured and harmonized strategy to combining the clinical and research education which comprises 5 phases. Eventually, ER curriculum must be integrated into residency programs which can only be realized if the structure of German academic urology is changed from a more or less vertical hierachy to a horizontal hierarchy with clinically and scientifically aligned department structures.