Simple Question May Help Identify Women With Urinary Incontinence

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Source: MedPage Today

Original: https://www.medpagetoday.com/urology/urinaryincontinence/119813...

Published: Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:46:40 -0500

A simple three-question questionnaire (3IQ) helps distinguish between urge and stress urinary incontinence in women. This short self-administered questionnaire takes about 30 seconds to complete and was developed based on previous research and expert clinical opinion. The study was conducted in 301 outpatient women aged 40 years and older from five US academic medical centers who reported 3 or more episodes of incontinence per week for at least 3 months. The women were free of urinary tract infections and the incontinence bothered them enough to seek treatment. Answers to the 3IQ increased the probability of a diagnosis of urge incontinence with a positive likelihood ratio of 3.29 and stress incontinence with a positive likelihood ratio of 2.13. Current guidelines recommend extensive diagnosis, but this is too time-consuming for primary care. Approximately 35% of women over the age of 40 suffer from urinary incontinence, which is associated with social isolation, falls, fractures, and hospitalizations.[1]