Incontinence pad usage in medical welfare facilities in Korea.
OBJECTIVE
The prevalence of urinary incontinence and the usage of incontinence pads by elderly residents in Korean medical welfare facilities were investigated.


METHODS
From a total of 1,832 facilities, 33 medical welfare facilities in the capital area were randomly selected; all nursing homes were excluded. All data were collected by questionnaires to investigate the residents' age and sex, the presence or absence of urinary incontinence, incontinence pad usage per month, and management methods for urinary incontinence. Surveys were also conducted from January 2010 to August 2010.


RESULTS
A total number of residents in medical welfare facilities were 2,783, and all of them were selected for this study. Approximately, 65.3% of residents (1,816 individuals) had incontinence. The mean usage was 75 incontinence pads per month. Only 15.6% of residents received proper management for urinary incontinence, while the remaining 84.4% of residents did not have any experience in evaluating or managing their urinary symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of urinary incontinence in medical welfare facilities in Korea was about 65.3%. However, the management of urinary incontinence was insufficient. Urologists should make further efforts for the proper management of urinary incontinence in elders in these facilities.
Department of Urology, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sang Hyub
SH
Lee
Department of Nursing, Kyungbok University, Pocheon, Korea.
Ji Soon
JS
Kang
Department of Nursing, Kyung Hee University College of Nursing Science, Seoul, Korea.
Jeong-Wha
JW
Kim
Department of Urology, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sun-Ju
SJ
Lee
Geriatrics; Prevalence; Urinary incontinence