A Feasibility Study for a Posthospital Intervention for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Adults With Heart Failure

To test the feasibility of a self-management intervention for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in adults with heart failure (HF) discharged from hospital.

Single blinded randomized controlled trial.

Thirty-one adults, aged 50 years and older, with an HF diagnosis and 1 or more LUTS were recruited during their hospitalization after passing a cognitive screen. Subjects received the intervention and completed postintervention measures in their own homes.

During hospitalization, subjects were recruited, enrolled, and consented, and then completed baseline questionnaires and 24-hour pad test. After discharge, both groups received educational sessions on different topics by telephone in 4-weekly sessions. The specific aims were to determine: (1) subject recruitment and retention rates, (2) subjects' adherence to baseline and postintervention measures, and (3) subjects' and nurse interventionist's adherence to the protocol. The LUTS intervention effects on specific clinical outcomes were explored.

Potential subjects were recruited over 5 months at an enrollment ratio of 4.7:1. Approximately 68% completed the study. Average age was 66.3 ± 9.8 years (mean ± SD). The majority were female (54.8%) and white (51.6%). Most subjects had urinary incontinence (UI) (74.2%) and 77.4% rated their health as either fair or poor. The study was underpowered to determine statistical significance at P < .05 level. Thirty-three percent of the LUTS intervention group reported improved UI frequency postintervention, compared to 25% of the attention control group.

Adults with HF experience LUTS, but little is known about how best to manage and treat it. This study showed that it is possible to recruit and retain adults who have HF and rate their health as fair or poor into a 4-week intervention study, although oversampling is needed due to attrition.