[Medical quality standards for selected urological aids and devices : Consensus for patients with neurogenic urinary...

Using the CE mark of therapeutic appliances is, on its own, not sufficient enough for their appropriate and effective application. In order to treat the patient successfully, not jeopardizing the success of the treatment, medical quality criteria for therapeutic appliances care are necessary to acceptably compensate for a patient's disabilities.

Medical quality criteria are formulated for the most frequently used urological aids and devices, considering hygienic requirements, international literature and the practical experience of physicians and nurses with regard to the care of patients with neurogenic urinary bladder dysfunction.

An expert group of urologists, surgeons, rehabilitation physicians and nurses has developed medical quality criteria via a structured consensus procedure. Developing these criteria, the group has taken into account current jurisprudence, the current resource directory of neurourological relevant aids, data from international literature and hygiene requirements.

Medical quality requirements are discussed and defined for selected groups of urological devices (single use catheters, indwelling catheters, external catheters, urine bags, templates and diapers as well as devices for the electrostimulation of nerves).

The presented quality requirements offer the possibility to stabilize quality of care with neurourological relevant therapeutic appliances. The catalogue of therapeutic appliances must be urgently updated. Urinal catheters for single use must be classified as an individual product group. Devices for anterior root stimulation and neuromodulation must be included in the resource directory. The incontinence severity classification needs to be reviewed.