Commentary That this paper was published in the prestigious British Medical Journal is testament to the fact that this work is an example of physiotherapy research at its best. Not only has Kari Bo done much to advance the physiotherapy profession as being integral to the management of female urinary incontinence, but she has also added a great deal to the body of knowledge available to all health care professionals working in this particular field. Some of the study subjects were recruited by newspaper advertisement which might be seen to introduce some response bias in relation to the motivation these particular women. The power provided by the sample size allowed for accurate and reliable statistical analysis, which is so often lacking in clinical trials involving conservative management protocols for incontinent women. The subjects were screened using gold standard objective criteria, to ensure that only women with the correct continence diagnosis were entered into the study, and the randomisation into groups was stratified to ensure that women of different incontinence levels were represented in each group.
Urinary incontinence is difficult to measure objectively.
Congratulations to Bo and colleagues for fine work which has gained international acclaim for the physiotherapy profession.