Screening for Urinary Incontinence by Primary Care Providers

UI is a very common condition whose prevalence can be expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades. Treatment options are available to improve women's health and quality of life. However, inadequate communication between physicians and patients leads to decreased diagnosis and treatment. Past studies evaluating the use of screening by primary care providers, who act as gatekeepers in our healthcare system, clearly demonstrate that improvements must be made in the screening system. We propose a survey of local primary care providers to quantify screening rates for UI and identify barriers to successful screening. The information collected in this survey will allow us to identify methods such as targeted education opportunities and patient literature or questionnaires that will assist providers and their patients in initiating discussion and evaluation of UI.