A randomised controlled trial of a code-word enuresis alarm

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Urology
• Sleep Medicine
• Behavioral Therapy

Background:

• Enuresis, or involuntary urination during sleep, affects many children.
• Current treatments include behavioral interventions and alarms.
• A novel code-word alarm was developed to potentially improve enuresis treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of a novel code-word alarm against a standard wireless alarm for treating nocturnal enuresis in children.
• To evaluate secondary outcomes including treatment adherence, patient satisfaction, and adverse events.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a tertiary pediatric center.
• Participants included children aged 6-18 with persistent enuresis.
• Children were assigned to either the code-word alarm or a standard wireless alarm group.

Main Results:

• No significant difference was found in the primary outcome of full response rates (14 consecutive dry nights) at 16 weeks between the two alarms (54% vs 47%, p=0.22).
• The code-word alarm group showed a higher percentage of awakenings (88% vs 77%, p=0.003) and better treatment adherence (27% vs 37% discontinuation, p=0.04).
• Secondary outcomes like reduction in wetting frequency and relapse rates did not significantly differ between groups.

Conclusions:

• The code-word alarm, while increasing awakenings and improving adherence, did not demonstrate superior efficacy in achieving full response rates for enuresis treatment compared to standard wireless alarms.
• Further research may explore modifications to enhance the effectiveness of code-word alarm systems.