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. 2021 Feb;32(2):381-385.
doi: 10.1007/s00192-020-04404-3. Epub 2020 Jul 16.

Can patients independently identify their urinary incontinence symptoms?

Svjetlana Lozo  1 , Carolyn Botros  2 , Shilpa Iyer  3 , Adam Gafni-Kane  4 , Peter Sand  4
Affiliations

Can patients independently identify their urinary incontinence symptoms?

Svjetlana Lozo et al. Int Urogynecol J. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Data self-entry; Electronic medical records; Stress urinary incontinence; Urinary symptoms; Urinary urgency incontinence.

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