URINARY-INCONTINENCE HANDICAP INVENTORY

Urinary incontinence is a common symptom encountered in the elderly. T o measure the handicaps associated with urinary incontinence due to de trusor instability an instrument consisting of 17 questions (Urinary I ncontinence Handicap Inventory (UIHI)) was developed and validated in thirty elderly women. The results show that the instrument has a high Cronbach alpha coefficient (0.87) and high test-to-retest reliability (0.99, P < 0.0001). The total score on the UIHI correlates significant ly with the results on the visual analogue scales representing percept ion of distress felt by the individual (r = 0.91, P < 0.0001) and the severity of the symptom (r = 0.78, P < 0.0001).