JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Men’s health urology faces growing challenges driven by workforce shortages, rising disease burden, and persistent disparities in care. Despite an increasing prevalence of conditions like BPH, prostate cancer, and UTIs, more than half of U.S. counties lack a practicing urologist. Stigma, access, and uncertainty lead men to delay care further, resulting in higher morbidity, late-stage diagnoses, and unsustainable costs. To meet these challenges, this paper explores the transformative potential of agentic AI systems to drive Urology 5.0, a more equitable, efficient, and proactive care system. We examine how AI can advance the quintuple aim of healthcare: enhancing patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs, increasing provider satisfaction, and promoting health equity. The paper introduces a suite of specialized AI agents, rooted in both currently-in-use and developing AI applications, that work collaboratively to support providers, patients, and healthcare administrators across the continuum of care. These agents not only improve efficiency, streamline workflows, and augment clinical reasoning, but also enable scalable, virtual-first care delivery systems. We articulate our view of the future urologic patient journey, illustrating how AI agents can transform each step of the process to provide an improved, seamless experience for patients and providers while maintaining human-centered, personalized care. Finally, we outline critical future directions, such as data interoperability, regulatory frameworks, and inclusive design principles, to ensure that AI technologies are deployed safely, equitably, and in line with ethical regulations. Through the strategic implementation of agentic AI, we view the future of men’s health urology as a model for innovation, driving better outcomes for patients and sustainable, meaningful care for providers.