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Don't ask, don't tell: the incontinence conspiracy
1Health Care Planning & Education for the Elderly & Their Families, Bakersfield, California, USA.
Managed Care Quarterly
|September 30, 2000
Summary
Patients and doctors often ignore urinary incontinence (UI) symptoms, increasing healthcare costs by nearly $4,000 annually per person. Effective behavioral treatments, recommended by guidelines, should be prioritized.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Healthcare Management
- Behavioral Medicine
Background:
- Urinary incontinence (UI) is frequently overlooked by both patients and healthcare providers.
- This diagnostic and treatment gap carries significant financial burdens for managed care systems.
- Untreated UI increases annual healthcare costs by an estimated $3,941 per individual.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the fiscal implications of underdiagnosed urinary incontinence.
- To advocate for the prioritization of behavioral treatments for UI.
- To discuss historical and current interventions for UI.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical practice guidelines from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.
- Analysis of the economic impact of untreated urinary incontinence.
- Discussion of patient and physician attitudes towards UI symptoms.
Main Results:
- Behavioral treatments for UI demonstrate a clinical efficacy rate of 87 percent.
- Failure to treat UI results in substantial increases in healthcare expenditures.
- A "don't ask, don't tell" approach prevails regarding UI symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral interventions are a highly effective and recommended first-line treatment for UI.
- Addressing patient and physician attitudes is crucial for improving UI management.
- Timely intervention for UI can mitigate significant financial costs associated with the condition.