title: Recent developments in technology for the assessment and management of incontinence.
abstract: Urinary incontinence, the leakage of urine, is a common condition, which can have a significant impact on a patient's quality-of-life. Incontinence may arise as a consequence of a weakness of the urinary sphincter or bladder dysfunction, usually over-activity. Incontinence therapies occupy a large proportion of the healthcare budget. As no single device to manage incontinence is appropriate for all situations, a diverse range of products are available on the market and the development of improved products based on fundamental designs has been slow. This review highlights some of the key issues of continence care and describes the current technology and recent developments involved in the diagnosis, assessment and treatment of incontinence, along with the strengths and limitations of these methods. These issues are imperative to address if improved technology is to be developed.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology .|b NIHR Devices for Dignity Healthcare Technology Co-operative .
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hillary
authors.affiliation: b NIHR Devices for Dignity Healthcare Technology Co-operative .|c Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Hallamshire Hospital , Glossop Road , Sheffield , S10 2JF , and.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Slovak
authors.affiliation: b NIHR Devices for Dignity Healthcare Technology Co-operative .|c Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Hallamshire Hospital , Glossop Road , Sheffield , S10 2JF , and.
authors.forename: Avril
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.affiliation: d Bristol Urological Institute, Southmead Hospital , Bristol BS10 5NB , UK.
authors.forename: Hashim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hashim
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology .|b NIHR Devices for Dignity Healthcare Technology Co-operative .
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Chapple
mesh_terms: D020811:Biomedical Technology / Q000639:trends; D003950:Diagnostic Techniques, Urological / Q000639:trends*; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007677:Kidney Function Tests / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D053825:Suburethral Slings / Q000639:trends; D016482:Urinalysis / Q000639:trends*; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Catheter; continence management; devices for dignity; incontinence; stress urinary incontinence; tissue engineering