Use of the Dowell Bryant Incontinence Cost Index as a post-treatment outcome measure after non-surgical therapy

The aim of this study was to use the previously validated Dowell Bryant Incontinence Cost Index (DBICI) as a post-treatment outcome measure after non-surgical therapy and to determine whether the magnitude of reduced leakage would correlate with the magnitude of reduced personal cost. A simple urethral occlusive device (Femassist) was employed in 57 women with stress, urge, or mixed incontinence for 1 month. The DBICI was administered at baseline and after device use, along with a visual analogue scale (VAS) for severity of incontinence impact, a 3-day frequency volume chart (FVC) that documented leaks per 24 hours and pad usage, a 1-hour ICS pad test at standard volume, and two disease-specific quality of life measures (Urogenital Distress Inventory [UDI] and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire [IIQ]). The severity of leakage was significantly reduced on all parameters, and the median personal costs of incontinence fell from AU$6.52 per week (IQR 1.50-10.59) to a median of AU$ 1.57 per week (IQR 0-4.89). A significant correlation (Kendall's rank, tau) was observed between reduction in personal costs and reduction in VAS (tau = 0.24, P= 0.01), leaks/day (tau = 0.20, P = 0.03), pad test loss (tau = 0.29, P = 0.002), and quality of life scores (UDI, tau = 0.23, P = 0.01; IIQ, tau = 0.26, P = 0.005). The personal costs subset of the DBICI appears to be a useful outcome measure for urinary incontinence research and could be widely employed to assess the impact of continence treatments on the patient's economic burden.