Clinical Urology Guidelines for the Initial Assessment and Treatment of Women with Urinary Incontinence: A Review

Abstract Objective: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are tools that urinary incontinence (UI) specialists can use to update and communicate their expertise with other specialists, health authorities and general practitioners to help promote a more uniform approach to the initial management of women with UI. The objective of this paper was to assess available recommendations for the initial management of UI in women from urology organizations in Europe and North America and compare with the recommendation from the International Consultation on Continence (ICI). Methods: A review of the medical literature was conducted to identify and compare relevant CPGs for the initial management of UI in women. Results: The European Association of Urology (EAU) and the Spanish National Association of Urology (SNAU) have developed CPGs for the initial management of UI in women, both of which are similar to those developed by the ICI. Differences exist in the pharmaceutical treatment of both stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and urge urinary incontinence (UUI). Few treatment options are supported by sufficient scientific evidence to qualify as "A-level" recommendations. Conclusion: The recommended initial management of UI in women from the EAU and SNAU is in general agreement with that from the ICI, but some treatment options have limited scientific support. Endorsement or simplification accepted by urologists may enhance the credibility of CPGs and promote their adoption by other practitioners without detailed UI experience and improve the quality and consistency of care for women with UI.

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