Medical record documentation of peripartum urinary incontinence.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the rate of medical record documentation of urinary incontinence (UI) symptoms during the third trimester of pregnancy and postpartum period.


METHODS
Third-trimester prenatal patients were invited to participate in an institutional board-approved prospective study. Participants completed the 15-item, validated Medical, Epidemiological and Social Aspects of Aging (MESA) questionnaire. The MESA was readministered to participants during a 6-8-week postpartum visit. Outpatient and inpatient medical records were reviewed to determine whether UI symptoms were documented.


RESULTS
One hundred sixty women had antenatal MESA and 90 had postpartum MESAs. Of the 160 women with antenatal MESAs, 118 were symptomatic (73%). Five medical records (3.1%) reflected any assessment of UI. Postpartum, 43% of women were incontinent by MESA. Documentation of incontinence assessment was present in 21% of medical records.


CONCLUSIONS
Medical record documentation of UI symptom screening throughout pregnancy and postpartum rarely occurred in this study population.
Raza-Khan
Fareesa
F
Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstruction Surgery, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63110-1094, USA. fareesa4@yahoo.com
Graziano
Scott
S
Kenton
Kimberly
K
Shott
Susan
S
Brubaker
Linda
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000453:epidemiology*