[Circumstances that may decrease the reliability of instruments to assess male urinary incontinence]

To identify situations that may alter the results of the 1-hour and 24-hour Pad test and the short-form International Consultation in Incontinence Questionnaire (SF-ICIQ).

Five physiotherapists, who conducted the interviews and treatment of 81 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy.

A qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was carried out, using a focus group technique with five people (4 women and 1 man) responsible for the treatment and assessment of patients with urinary incontinence after prostatectomy. Recordings were transcribed and the Atlas.ti7 programme was used to carry out the coding of the variables.

Important factors were identified in the use of measuring instruments for the diagnosis and assessment of urinary incontinence in all the tools used.

Some situations can modify the objectivity of the various tests for the assessment of urinary incontinence. Some of the factors identified were lower fluid intake, less activity, use of manual clamp or urinals to avoid leakage, as well as the interference of certain drugs.