CPD

Clinical assessment of lower urinary tract symptoms in adults

Julie Ellis-Jones Senior lecturer in adult nursing, University of the West of England, Bristol, England, and Florence Nightingale Foundation scholar

Why you should read this article:

• To enhance your understanding of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in adults
• To learn how to undertake a focused clinical assessment of LUTS
• To contribute towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD (UK readers)
• To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) result from conditions and diseases that affect the bladder and the urethra, and can occur in men and women of all ages. LUTS can be debilitating and affect a person’s quality of life significantly. This article describes the definitions and classification of various LUTS, explains the aspects of an initial LUTS assessment and outlines the validated tools that can be used to support this process, including questionnaires and bladder diaries. It also provides information about the contributing factors associated with LUTS and the effects of these symptoms on patients’ quality of life.

Nursing Standard. 37, 5, 75-81. doi: 10.7748/ns.2022.e11821

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@JulieEllisJone1

Correspondence

Julie2.Ellis-Jones@uwe.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Ellis-Jones J (2022) Clinical assessment of lower urinary tract symptoms in adults. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2022.e11821

Published online: 21 March 2022

Keywords :

clinical - continence - patient assessment - patient outcomes - patients - professional - quality of life - stress incontinence - urge incontinence - urinary incontinence