Can patients independently identify their urinary incontinence symptoms?

• Published in: International Urogynecology Journal 2021-02, Vol.32 (2), p.381-385
• Main Authors: Lozo, Svjetlana, Botros, Carolyn, Iyer, Shilpa, Gafni-Kane, Adam, Sand, Peter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Complaints; Cross-Sectional Studies; Electronic health records; Females; Gynecology; Humans; Interviews; Medical records; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Patients; Pelvis; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Self Report; Surveys and Questionnaires; Urinary incontinence; Urinary Incontinence - diagnosis; Urinary Incontinence, Stress; Urine; Urology
• ISSN: 0937-3462; 1433-3023
• DOI: 10.1007/s00192-020-04404-3

Introduction and hypothesis The objective of our study is to compare patient self-reported urinary incontinence symptoms based on the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire- Short Form (ICIQ-SF) question number 6 (When does urine leak?) with physician-assessed interpretation of the patient’s urinary incontinence symptoms. Methods This trial is a cross-sectional study of patients who presented to a tertiary urogynecology center with symptoms of urinary incontinence between January 2014 and August 2016. We compared patient-reported symptoms on the ICIQ-SF with physician interpretation of urinary complaints during their initial visit. The urinary incontinence symptoms included stress urinary incontinence (SUI), urgency urinary incontinence (UUI), insensible urine loss, nocturnal enuresis, and post-micturition dribbling. Results A total of 432 patients with a mean age of 61 were included in this evaluation. The most common urinary incontinence symptoms according to the physician were UUI ( n  = 357, 83%), followed by SUI ( n  = 308, 71%). Of the patients who were diagnosed by a physician with the symptom of UUI, only 61% self-identified as having this symptom based on the ICIQ-SF, and for SUI, only 66% self-identified as having SUI symptoms based on the ICIQ-SF. Overall UUI (κ = 0.30) appears to have poor agreement, as does nocturnal enuresis (κ = 0.39), when compared with physician historical assessment. Conclusion There is a discrepancy between patient-reported urinary incontinence symptoms on the ICIQ-SF and physician-assessed symptoms. Symptomatology entered into electronic medical records by patients is often inaccurate. Physician validation is essential in understanding the underlying the precise symptomatology.