Responsiveness of Health-Related Quality of Life Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Women Receiving Conservative Treatment for Urinary Incontinence: A Systematic Review

Background: Responsive patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are able to detect change induced by a treatment. It is unknown whether PROMs on urinary incontinence (UI) are responsive in a conservative management setting. Objective: To systematically review the responsiveness of recommended PROMs (grade A) for the assessment of health-related quality of life in women receiving conservative treatment for UI. Study Design: Systematic review. Methods: A literature search was conducted on MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL. Selection criteria included women with UI undergoing conservative treatment, grade A-recommended PROM measuring the impact of UI on health-related quality of life, at least 1 responsiveness index, and original results. Two reviewers independently performed screening, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment using COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN). A descriptive analysis was conducted. Results: Five studies, including 5 PROMs, were retained (n = 672 participants). Participants had mixed UI (n = 3 studies) or stress UI (n = 2 studies). Flaws in methodological quality were identified (n = 1 study) for the assessment of responsiveness (COSMIN Box I) and (n = 3 studies) for interpretability (Box J). Highest internal responsiveness was found for the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire—Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) (standardized response mean: 2.07, effect size = 2.12) and highest external responsiveness was found for the Protection Amount Frequency Adjustment Body Image Questionnaire (PRAFAB-Q) (area under the curve: 0.96). Conclusion: Four questionnaires presented at least 1 high responsiveness index (Urinary Incontinence Specific Quality of Life Instrument [I-QOL], PRAFAB-Q, ICIQ-UI SF, and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire—Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life Modules [ICIQ-LUTSqol]). While the ICIQ-UI presented the highest overall responsiveness index, the PRAFAB-Q, an informative and brief questionnaire for clinical use, had the highest index with the highest methodological quality. There is a need to further confirm responsiveness of PROMs in this population and context.