Routine Screening for Urinary Incontinence in Women: Caution Advised
Authors: Robin J. Bell, Susan R. Davis
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Editorials4 September 2018Routine Screening for Urinary Incontinence in Women: Caution AdvisedRobin J. Bell, MBBS, PhD, MPH and Susan R. Davis, MBBS, PhDRobin J. Bell, MBBS, PhD, MPHMonash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (R.J.B., S.R.D.) and Susan R. Davis, MBBS, PhDMonash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (R.J.B., S.R.D.)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M18-1768 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Urinary incontinence in women is common, and it may be distressing and reduce quality of life (1). Many women are reluctant to discuss urinary incontinence with their health care providers, so they may endure symptoms for a long time before the issue is addressed (2). If progression is inevitable when a woman initially has urinary incontinence symptoms, it would seem reasonable to offer early intervention. It might therefore seem logical to use an established questionnaire to screen women in the community for urinary incontinence. As currently reported in Annals, the Women's Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI) recommends that clinicians screen women ...References1. Botlero R, Bell RJ, Urquhart DM, Davis SR. Urinary incontinence is associated with lower psychological general well-being in community-dwelling women. Menopause. 2010;17:332-7. [PMID: 20216275] doi:10.1097/gme.0b013e3181ba571a CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. O'Halloran T, Bell RJ, Robinson PJ, Davis SR. Urinary incontinence in young nulligravid women: a cross-sectional analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2012;157:87-93. [PMID: 22801671]. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-157-2-201207170-00005 LinkGoogle Scholar3. O'Reilly N, Nelson HD, Conry JM, Frost J, Gregory KD, Kendig SM, et al; Women's Preventive Services Initiative. Screening for urinary incontinence in women: a recommendation from the Women's Preventive Services Initiative. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:320-8. doi:10.7326/M18-0595 LinkGoogle Scholar4. Nelson HD, Cantor A, Pappas M, Miller L. Screening for urinary incontinence in women: a systematic review for the Women's Preventive Services Initiative. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:311-9. doi:10.7326/M18-0225 LinkGoogle Scholar5. Partridge E, Kreimer AR, Greenlee RT, Williams C, Xu JL, Church TR, et al; PLCO Project Team. Results from four rounds of ovarian cancer screening in a randomized trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2009;113:775-82. [PMID: 19305319] doi:10.1097/AOG.0b013e31819cda77 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Stach-Lempinen B, Kirkinen P, Laippala P, Metsänoja R, Kujansuu E. Do objective urodynamic or clinical findings determine impact of urinary incontinence or its treatment on quality of life? Urology. 2004;63:67-71; discussion 71-2. [PMID: 14751350] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Shamliyan T, Wyman JF, Ramakrishnan R, Sainfort F, Kane RL. Benefits and harms of pharmacologic treatment for urinary incontinence in women: a systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2012;156:861-74, W301-10. [PMID: 22711079]. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-156-12-201206190-00436 LinkGoogle Scholar8. Ford AA, Rogerson L, Cody JD, Aluko P, Ogah JA. Mid-urethral sling operations for stress urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;7:CD006375. [PMID: 28756647] doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006375.pub4 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. 'Scandal' of vaginal mesh removal rates revealed by NHS records. Accessed at www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/15/scandal-of-vaginal-mesh-removal-rates-revealed-by-nhs-records on 9 July 2018. Google Scholar10. Botlero R, Davis SR, Urquhart DM, Bell RJ. Incidence and resolution rates of different types of urinary incontinence in women: findings from a cohort study. J Urol. 2011;185:1331-7. [PMID: 21334659] doi:10.1016/j.juro.2010.11.080 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (R.J.B., S.R.D.)Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M18-1768.Corresponding Author: Robin J. Bell, MBBS, PhD, MPH, Women's Health Research Program, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Level 1, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; e-mail, robin.[email protected]edu.Current Author Addresses: Drs. Bell and Davis: Women's Health Research Program, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Level 1, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.This article was published at Annals.org on 14 August 2018. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoScreening for Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Recommendation From the Women's Preventive Services Initiative Nancy O'Reilly , Heidi D. Nelson , Jeanne M. Conry , Jennifer Frost , Kimberly D. Gregory , Susan M. Kendig , Maureen Phipps , Alina Salganicoff , Diana Ramos , Christopher Zahn , Amir Qaseem , and Screening for Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review for the Women's Preventive Services Initiative Heidi D. Nelson , Amy Cantor , Miranda Pappas , and Liev Miller Metrics Cited byEnhancing the identification of anal incontinence in women of reproductive age 4 September 2018Volume 169, Issue 5Page: 345-346KeywordsCancer treatmentObstetrics and gynecologyPrevention, policy, and public healthPreventive medicineQuality of lifeQuestionnairesRandomized trialsUrinary incontinenceUrineWeight loss ePublished: 14 August 2018 Issue Published: 4 September 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...