Prompted voiding is a commonly used behavioral treatment for people who have urinary incontinence, a common problem in nursing homes. Most previous studies of this intervention were of short duration, and the research staff, not the nursing home staff, delivered the intervention. A new study of five Hong Kong nursing homes examined the effectiveness of a prompted voiding intervention delivered by nursing home staff over a six-month period.

Of the 486 nursing home residents who were screened, 52 were enrolled in the study and randomized to either the intervention group or the control group, which received usual care. All participants had been living in the nursing home for at least six months, had a stable rate of incontinence (two or more episodes of urinary leakage per week for the past two weeks), and passed a basic cognitive screening test. Nursing staff received at least four hours of training in the intervention. Participants in the intervention group were prompted to void by nursing staff every two or two and a half hours, from 7 am to 7 pm, seven days a week.

At six months, the patients in the intervention group had significantly fewer wet episodes, a lower incontinence rate, and more total continent toileting episodes per day. The mean incontinence rate per day decreased from 61.6% to 52.9% in the intervention group and increased from 61.8% to 71.4% in the control group.

Prompted voiding is a sustainable, noninvasive behavioral intervention that can improve well-being in nursing home residents, the authors conclude.-KR

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