Prevalence of urinary incontinence in patients receiving home care services

We conducted a 1-day survey to determine the prevalence of urinary incontinence among patients in four home care programs in southern Ontario and the characteristics of incontinent patients. Of the 2801 patients for whom the continence status was known, 22% were assessed as incontinent. The mean age of the incontinent patients was 74 (extremes 18 and 101) years, and 65% were women. A total of 89% had at least one functional disability in cognition, mobility, transferring in and out of bed or chair, or undoing garments. The incontinence was moderate to severe in 41% of the patients, and 95% of the family caregivers living with these patients viewed the incontinence as a problem. Palliative rather than remedial treatment was used most frequently; only 5% of the patients had undergone a urodynamic assessment in the previous year. Future research should emphasize the assessment of remedial interventions.