Medical record documentation of peripartum urinary incontinence
Raza-Khan, F.; Graziano, S.; Kenton, K.; Shott, S.; Brubaker, L.
Journal of Reproductive Medicine 53(3): 155-160
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0024-7758 PMID: 18441717 Document Number: 622614
OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of medical record documentation of urinary incontinence (UI) symptoms during the third trimester of pregnancy and postpartum period.STUDY DESIGN: Third-trimester prenatal patients were invited. to participate in an institutional board-approved prospective study. Participants completed the 15-item, validated Medical, Epidemiological and Social Aspects of Aging (MESA) questionnaire. The MESA was readministered to participants during a 6-8-week postpartum visit. Outpatient and inpatient medical records were reviewed to determine whether UI symptoms were documented.RESULTS: One hundred sixty women had antenatal MESA and 90 had postpartum MESAs. Of the 160 women with antenatal MESAs, 118 were symptomatic (73 %). Five medical records (3.1 %) reflected any assessment of UI. Postpartum, 43% of women were incontinent by MESA. Documentation of incontinence assessment was present in 21 % of medical records.CONCLUSION: Medical record documentation of UI symptom screening throughout pregnancy and postpartum rarely occurred in this study population.