Pad Count is a Poor Measure of the Severity of Urinary Incontinence

Abstract

There was little correlation between the number of pads used and the severity of urinary incontinence (r=0.26). These data suggest that pad count should not be used as an objective measure of incontinence severity. Instead, pad weight on a 24-hour pad test should be used.

Timing of Urinary Pad Exchanges Was the Most Important Factor Affecting Quality of Life in the Early Postoperative Period After Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy

“…Currently, several studies reported that pad count is a poor measure of the severity of urinary incontinence. 7,14,15 Although previous studies did not identify the reason why there was little correlation between the pad count and severity of urinary incontinence, one of the possible reasons drawn from the present data was that patients after RARP wore various configurations and sizes of pads unrelated to the volume of urinary incontinence. Hence, pad count could not be used as an objective measure of incontinence severity after RARP, at least in the early postoperative period.…”

A pragmatic approach to the characterization and effective treatment of male patients with postprostatectomy incontinence

“…However, in the subgroup of men with PPI using protections, the perceived number of pads used were recently found highly correlated with the severity of incontinence on a 24-h pad test in a prospective evaluation [15 && ]. These data come against other assumptions by Tsui et al [16], who estimated that pad use was rather badly correlated with incontinence severity. However, their retrospective analysis only included a limited number of men.…”

Prospective Evaluation of Continence Following Radical Cystectomy and Orthotopic Urinary Diversion Using a Validated Questionnaire

“…14, 22 We saw a decrease in number of pads used per day and night over time. However, in our anecdotal experience, and considering the variability in how patients use pads, we did not include pad number in our definition of continence.…”