title: Don't ask, don't tell: the incontinence conspiracy.
abstract: Don't ask, don't tell is the attitude of both patients and doctors toward symptoms of urinary incontinence (UI). This has serious fiscal implications for managed care, because the consequences of not treating the condition increase the annual cost of care by an estimated $3,941 per individual. Behavioral treatments have clinical efficacy of 87 percent, and should be tried first, according to the clinical practice guidelines published by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Attitudes about the condition, and historical and current interventions, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Health Care Planning & Education for the Elderly & Their Families, Bakersfield, California, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cochran
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002140:California; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*