Electronic Method for Recording Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms
Electronic Method for Recording Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms
Urinary diaries have proven to be beneficial in assessing lower urinary tract symptoms
 (LUTS), however they have not achieved widespread acceptance. The likely reason is the fact
 that the pen and paper diaries are labor intensive for both patient (need to carry a pen and
 paper and record each event) and doctor (need to transfer, summarize and analyze the data).

 Hypothesis: Electronic voiding diary, would automate the recording and analysis of data,
 expedite the process, improve its accuracy and cost effectiveness.

 Electronic recording of lower urinary tract symptoms (SUF) uses wireless phone and web based
 technologies to record LUTS remotely and store the data on a secure website which can be
 accessed by the doctor or patient whenever needed. The goal of this study was to compare its
 validity and reliability to the traditional micturition chart (MC) recording method - the
 current gold standard where the patient records the time of micturition and degree of urgency
 using a pen and paper.
SUF records the sound of the urine stream striking the water in a toilet bowl. This generates
 a sound file, which resembles the standard uroflowmetry recording. The degree of urgency is
 recorded by pressing the number 1-5 on the key pad which corresponds to the 5-point urgency
 scale. Urgency is recorded immediately following micturition or whenever experiencing urgency
 without bladder emptying. A dedicated server runs a program, which automatically processes
 incoming data. All data recorded from an individual is stored prospectively, in separate
 files, on a secure website. Each record is associated with a time stamp, providing
 information on urinary frequency.

 A pen and pencil MC will be used to record baseline parameters (voiding urgency and
 frequency). Quality of life (QoL) will be evaluated using International Prostate Symptom
 Score (IPSS) Questionnaire, and two standardized questions: Quality of Life due to Urinary
 Symptoms (QoL US) and Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC).

 Time frame: Participants were followed for the duration of the study which consists of two
 three day periods when every micturition event and lower urinary tract symptom not associated
 with micturition was recorded. An expected average time will be 6 days.

 Twenty nine men, average age 67.8 years (range 49 - 80), which presented to the urology
 clinic with LUTS, were included in the study. After signing the informed consent, patients
 will be asked to record every micturition and degree of urgency using SUF for a period of 3
 days. They will then be asked to record their frequency of micturition and the degree of
 every episode of urgency using a pen and paper MC for an equal length of time. The efficacy
 of recording LUTS with each method will be analyzed and compared. The content validity of SUF
 (assessment of whether the instrument makes sense to patients), will be assessed at the
 conclusion of the study when all patients will be interviewed one-on-one by a specialized
 research nurse. Patients will be asked to state their preference for one of the two diaries,
 and disclose the number of events they forgot to or could not record. The construct validity
 (relationship between the recorded data and underlying theories) will be evaluated by the
 correlation of symptoms recorded with SUF or MC based on QoL measures. The results of this
 study will be compared to previously published evidence, suggesting that more severe LUTS are
 associated with a lower score on the health related QoL questionnaires.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Men seeking treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  none