Should we explain lower urinary tract symptoms to patients?
OBJECTIVE
The aim of our study was to evaluate the understanding of lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) terminology used by patients.


METHODS
Women attending urodynamic clinics in United Kingdom, Australia, and Italy were asked to complete a questionnaire testing the women's understanding of stress urinary incontinence, urge urinary incontinence, frequency, urgency, nocturia, and hesitancy. Five possible explanations for the meaning of each symptom were given.


RESULTS
A total of 138 consecutive women were prospectively recruited. The terms of daytime frequency, nocturia, urgency, urge urinary incontinence, stress urinary incontinence, and hesitancy were defined correctly, according to the International Continence Society terminology, only by 33% (45/138), 44% (61/138), 46% (64/138), 39% (54/138), 37% (51/138), and 41% (57/138) of women, respectively. Over 20% of women were unsure about the meaning of each symptom. We did not find any statistical difference between the three groups in determining the correct definition (P = 0.5).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings showed that most women do not know the correct meaning of LUTS terminology currently used by physicians.
Digesu
G Alessandro
GA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Urogynaecology Unit, Buzzi Hospital, ICP, Milan, Italy. digesualex@hotmail.com
Khullar
Vik
V
Panayi
Demetri
D
Calandrini
Marco
M
Gannon
Michael
M
Nicolini
Umberto
U
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000503:physiopathology; D053202:Urinary Incontinence, Urge / Q000503:physiopathology; D014563:Urodynamics; D014570:Urologic Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*