Urology manages patients with surgical and medical (=non-surgical) conditions of the urinary and reproductive systems. Urology is sometimes referred to as Genito-urinary Medicine/Surgery. Common problems include blood in urine (haematuria), urinary tract infections, bladder symptoms and difficulty passing urine, prostate obstruction, urinary incontinence and pelvic prolapse, tumours of the kidney/bladder/prostate, and urinary stones.

Some urological problems may be managed by General Practitioners without the need for specialist input. Some urological problems require further investigation or specialist management, including endoscopic examination, ultrasound guided biopsy and urodynamic assessment; or surgeries including endoscopic, laparoscopic, robot assisted and traditional open surgery. Smaller operations include vasectomy and circumcision, performed under local anaesthesia. Some urology operations, such as kidney transplantation, are only performed in the Public Hospital system in New Zealand. 

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