ABSTRACT
This paper is a review of outcome definitions and criteria for nocturnal enuresis treatment. A search of the literature published between 1991 and 2001 highlighted 97 papers. Although the International Children's Continence Society and the World Health Organization have published outcome criteria, different, often idiosyncratic, outcome criteria and/or definitions have been adopted in published research on treatment for nocturnal enuresis in recent years. There remains a debate as to what constitutes successful treatment and how to document improvement. Lack of an agreed definition of outcome reduces confidence in comparing studies, with serious clinical and research implications. This paper reviews aspects of importance in determining outcome, including a suggestion to focus on the establishment of dry nights rather than the reduction of wet nights. A new set of criteria is suggested, consisting of a banding system referred to as a "dryness scale", which focuses on the percentage of dry nights accomplished at a point in time, thus eliminating the need to compare current levels of dryness with a baseline.
Subject(s)
Enuresis/therapy , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Humans , Remission Induction , Terminology as TopicABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to measure different aspects of self-construing in children with primary mono-symptomatic nocturnal enuresis. METHOD: 25 children aged 7-14 years, with nocturnal enuresis were recruited from a paediatric outpatient's unit specialising in enuresis [mean age 10.6 [males], 9.39 [females]] and 25 children acting as controls, were recruited from one primary and one secondary school [mean age 10.08 [males], 9.39 [females]]. MEASURES: The Butler Self Image Profile [SIP], Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory, Ouvinen-Birgerstam "I think I am" Self Perception Scale were administered. DESIGN: This study was a matched controlled group comparison. RESULTS: The only significant difference was the tendency for children with enuresis to construe themselves more negatively on the SIP. There were no significant differences between children with enuresis and the matched controls on all the other measures. CONCLUSION: Children with nocturnal enuresis generally perceive themselves similar to children without nocturnal enuresis, and are not "psychologically or emotionally disturbed." It is important to assess a child's self-construing in order to identify those children who are more vulnerable to a lower self-esteem. Future research needs to take into account self-construing in different clinical populations, i.e. those children who have non-mono symptomatic nocturnal enuresis.
