Quality control in urodynamics

Bristol UTraQ: A proposed system for scoring the technical quality of urodynamic traces

AIM

To develop and test a scoring system for the technical quality of a urodynamic trace METHODS: Rasch analysis was used to select the most discriminating questions relating to good urodynamic practices. The questions were taken from International Continence Society standard documents and tested on 60 traces of varying quality and from different sources.

RESULTS

Twenty-five questions were selected by this process. These were tested with 10 traces by seven scorers, and with 60 traces by a single scorer. A pass quality score of 75% resulted in good discrimination between good and poor traces. Further editing and clarification resulted in a final score sheet of 23 Yes/No questions.

CONCLUSION

A proposed scoring system, "Bristol UTraQ," for the technical quality of urodynamic traces has been developed and tested. We suggest a score above 75% indicates acceptable trace technical quality. High technical quality is the essential first step in ensuring that urodynamic studies can answer the urodynamic questions for every patient. Plans for further validation are outlined.

The predictive value of ePAQ in the urodynamic diagnoses-A prospective cohort study

AIMS

To assess whether the electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire-Pelvic Floor (ePAQ-PF) had accuracy in predicting the urodynamic diagnoses of Detrusor Overactivity (DO) and/or Urodynamic Stress Incontinence (USI).

METHODS

Tertiary urogynaecology unit linked to an academic university teaching hospital. Consecutive women who presented with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and were booked to have urodynamic studies. Women completed an ePAQ-PF prior to having urodynamics (UDS) by clinicians who were blinded to the ePAQ-PF results while conducting this procedure. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves were constructed for predictive accuracy of overactive bladder (OAB) score in DO and of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) score in USI. Prospective cohort study designed to meet the requirements of the standards for reporting of diagnostic accuracy (STARD).

RESULTS

390 women with a mean age of 54.2 (range 21-92) years were recruited. The majority (n = 294; 75%) were White Caucasian and had two children (n = 157; 40.3%). Of them, 67.2% (n = 262) had DO and USI was confirmed in 21.5% (n = 84). The area under the ROC curve for DO was 0.704 (95% confidence interval 0.650-0.759) and for USI it was 0.731 (95% confidence interval 0.652-0.778).

CONCLUSIONS

The OAB and SUI scores on the ePAQ-PF demonstrated that they are fair predictors in diagnosing DO and USI. As the OAB and SUI score on ePAQ-PF increased so did the likelihood of DO (up to a score of 75) and USI on UDS.