Incontinence Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Incontinence, including details on urinary incontinence, bladder control, treatment, causes.

Comprehensive evaluation of bladder and urethral dysfunction symptoms: development and psychometric validation of the Urinary Symptom Profile (USP) questionnaire.

Haab F, Richard F, Amarenco G, Coloby P, Arnould B, Benmedjahed K, Guillemin I, Grise P

Hôpital Ténon, Paris, France.

OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a standardized tool assessing urinary symptoms among men and women with stress, urge, frequency, or urinary obstructive symptoms for use in clinical practice to complement clinical measures and diagnosis. METHODS: After development by an advisory committee and comprehension testing with patients, the Urinary Symptoms Profile (USP) item content and validity were evaluated by clinicians. Patients with urinary symptoms (n = 253) and without symptoms (n = 75) completed the final questionnaire at day 0 and day 7. Psychometric properties were assessed, including construct and clinical validity, reliability, and predictive ability for detection of and differentiation between urinary disorders. RESULTS: Principal Component Analysis with Varimax Rotation confirmed the final USP structure of 13 items in 3 dimensions: stress urinary incontinence (SUI), overactive bladder (OAB), and low stream (LS). Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.69 to 0.94) and concurrent validity (Spearman correlation coefficients between International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire and SUI and OAB dimensions of 0.73 and 0.62, respectively) were good. Test-retest reproducibility over 7 days was excellent in stable patients (Intraclass Correlation Coefficients from 0.84 to 0.91). USP clinical validity was demonstrated by comparing micturition diary with USP scores. USP dimension scores were excellent predictors of urinary disorder presence and identification. CONCLUSIONS: USP is the first valid and reliable questionnaire providing comprehensive evaluation of all urinary disorders and their severity in both men and women with SUI, OAB, and LS. It allows the screening and contributes to the differential diagnosis of these symptoms. The USP is a valuable tool for use in clinical practice.

Published 4 April 2008 in Urology, 71(4): 646-56.
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