ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To validate the Urgency, Weak stream, Incomplete emptying, and Nocturia (UWIN) survey for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) by comparison with the American Urological Association Symptoms Score (AUA-SS). The hypothesis is that the UWIN will perform as well as the AUA-SS in assessing LUTS symptoms and quality of life. The AUA-SS is complex for many patients and can be misunderstood. The UWIN questionnaire was developed to serve as a simpler and shorter version of the AUA-SS, with the intent of improving accuracy and minimizing error in assessing LUTS. The UWIN consists of 4 questions scored 0-3 to give a maximum score of 12. METHODS: We screened 700 patients in the urology clinic between 2011 and 2012. We enrolled 593 patients who completed the AUA-SS survey and UWIN in the same clinic visit. The AUA-SS and UWIN responses were evaluated using Spearman correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman graphs. RESULTS: Correlation coefficients were calculated between the corresponding AUA-SS and UWIN items on 593 matched surveys, demonstrating a strong correlation coefficient of 0.81 or greater for each question, which was statistically significant (P <.0001). The correlation coefficient between the total scores of the AUA and UWIN was 0.89 (P <.01). A second analysis was performed using Bland-Altman plots between AUA-SS and UWIN including total score, quality of life, and categories, which showed a good agreement. CONCLUSION: The UWIN appears to provide results comparable to the AUA-SS, while using a simpler format and taking less time to complete.