A digital test for pelvic muscle strength in women with urinary incontinence.
This article reports further experience with a Version 2 digital test performed on 208 community-residing women, 25 to 87 years old. Test-retest (n = 208) and interrater reliability (n = 36) scores for pressure, displacement, and duration were r = .54, .51, and .53 and r = .67, .73, and .55, respectively. Interrater reliability percentage agreement figures were exact for 94% of the women on pressure and 67% on displacement. With duration permitted to vary by 1 second, agreement was 75%. Validity was tested using vaginal electromyography scores with correlation coefficients ranging from .37 to .63. A weak but significant correlation was found between the digital score and the stand-up test pad gain (r = -.12). No significant relationship was found between the digital test and a history of being able to stop the urine stream or other leakage measures. To address limitations in Version 2, a third version of the digital scale is proposed.
Brink
C A
CA
School of Nursing, University of Rochester, NY.
Wells
T J
TJ
Sampselle
C M
CM
Taillie
E R
ER
Mayer
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011312:Pressure; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*