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This is a prospective audit to assess patient satisfaction with urodynamic studies. It specifically addresses the use of a patient information leaflet during counselling, and assesses overall patient satisfaction, anxiety, embarrassment and pain together with the patient's willingness to undergo a further study at a later date, if required.

Background to the audit

Urodynamic assessment is an invasive, outpatient diagnostic procedure that is performed in most urological centres.

It is important to examine the patient experience and assess anxiety, embarrassment and overall satisfaction with the diagnostic procedure.

The overall satisfaction should be good and the overall anxiety level low; these are surrogate markers of quality. This audit assesses compliance with such standards. 

The standard

The overall patient satisfaction rate should be greater than 60%. The overall anxiety rate should be less than 5 out of 10 on the visual anxiety score. More than 60% of patients should be willing to undergo the test again, if required.

Assessment of local practice

Perform a prospective review of consecutive patients undergoing urodynamics, using a spreadsheet to collect patient data.

Data items to be collected

  • patient details (age, sex, continence status, neurological status);

  • a record of whether the urodynamics information leaflet has been given pre-test;
  • visual analogue scores for:
    • pre-test anxiety;
    • peri-test anxiety;
    • pain;
    • embarrassment;
    • willingness to undergo the test again; and
    • overall satisfaction.

Download the data collection sheet

Suggested numbers

50 consecutive patients.

Estimated time required

10 hours.

Suggestion(s) for change if targets are not met (* see below)

  • Present at departmental meeting;
  • Discuss barriers to satisfaction;
  • Examine how and when information is given pre-test;
  • Re-audit once improvements have been introduced; and
  • Possibility of combining data with other centres.

(* please consider if any other improvements are possible, even if all targets have been met)

Publication & contact details

Published Dec 2018 - Mr Mo Belal, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Birmingham (email the author)


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