Electronic bladder diaries of differing duration versus a paper diary for data collection in overactive bladder

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Clinical Trials
• Data Collection Methods

Background:

• Overactive bladder (OAB) management relies on accurate patient-reported outcomes.
• Traditional paper diaries may have limitations in data reliability and consistency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the data values, reliability, consistency, and compliance of electronic versus paper diaries for OAB symptom tracking.
• To evaluate the impact of diary duration on data quality.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, parallel-group observational study involving OAB patients on antimuscarinic treatment.
• Subjects used one of five, 15-week diary schedules (electronic and paper, varying durations).
• Reliability assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients, variability with ANCOVAs, and consistency with Cronbach's alpha.

Main Results:

• Electronic 7-day diaries showed highest reliability and lowest variability for micturition frequency.
• Reliability for incontinence improved with longer diary durations.
• Continuous electronic diaries demonstrated the highest consistency.
• Compliance was high across all groups; no significant diary fatigue observed.

Conclusions:

• 7-day or continuous electronic diaries may enhance the accuracy and reliability of micturition and incontinence data in OAB trials.
• These electronic formats appear superior to shorter collection periods and paper diaries for OAB symptom assessment.