title: Measuring fecal incontinence.
abstract: The measurement of fecal incontinence is challenging. Because fecal incontinence is a symptom, the subjective perception of the patient must be the foundation of any evaluation of incontinence or the impact of incontinence. The lack of a criterion standard makes testing measures for reliability and validity more difficult. Despite this, many measures are available and can be divided into three broad categories: descriptive measures that do not provide summary scores; severity measures that assess the frequency and type of incontinence; and impact measures that assess the effect of incontinence on quality of life. The strengths and weaknesses of currently available measures are presented in this review.
authors.affiliation: Division of Colorectal Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Baxter
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Rothenberger
authors.forename: Ann C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Lowry
mesh_terms: D023381:Endpoint Determination; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D009626:Terminology as Topic