Research priorities in urinary incontinence: results from citizens' juries.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to elicit research ideas, priorities and outcome measures from women who suffer from urinary incontinence.


METHODS
Citizens' juries gather participants together for a combination of education and deliberation on a specific topic. The juries were held in November 2007.


METHODS
Women living in the community with urinary incontinence.


METHODS
Purposively selected responders to public advertisements in Dunedin, New Zealand, were grouped into two juries dependent on whether stress urinary incontinence or urge urinary incontinence was the predominant problem.


METHODS
The juries had a day of education in incontinence and research-related issues, with a half day for deliberation and reporting.


METHODS
Ideas for areas where research may help the lives of women with incontinence in priority order and how best to measure the outcome of that research.


RESULTS
The juries identified five main areas for incontinence research with only minor differences depending on which jury. These are, in priority order, making seeking help easier, making day-to-day life more manageable, finding out total costs, more knowledge about causes and the effects of lifestyle. Quality of life was considered by far the most important outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Citizens' juries are able to come up with ideas for research and prioritise these. Research in the areas suggested would be likely to improve the lives of women with urinary incontinence and may lead to a different mix of research projects than is currently the case.
Herbison
P
P
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. peter.herbison@otago.ac.nz
Hay-Smith
J
J
Paterson
H
H
Ellis
G
G
Wilson
D
D
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D010358:Patient Participation; D012107:Research Design; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*