The following is a summary of “Enhanced Clinical Decisions for Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Using Patient-reported Outcomes: protocol for a prospective observational study,” published in the May 2024 issue of Urology by Glaser et al.
Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) stemming from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) pose substantial challenges to the quality of life in aging men. While the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUA-SI) remains widely used to assess BPH-related symptoms, it inadequately captures critical aspects like pain and incontinence. Thus, there is a pressing need for more comprehensive patient-reported outcome (PRO) tools. This prospective observational study aims to integrate advanced PRO assessments into routine clinical practice to comprehensively evaluate the spectrum of LUTS, thereby enhancing clinical outcomes and patient care.
Men aged ≥ 50 years with LUTS attributable to BPH will be recruited from urology clinics and stratified into groups for medical and surgical management. Regular PRO assessments using the LURN Symptom Index (SI)-29 alongside traditional AUA-SI and other non-urologic PROs will monitor symptomatology and overall health outcomes. Comprehensive data collection, including electronic health records and PRO data, will capture comorbidities, symptom severity, and treatment effectiveness. The analysis will focus on evaluating the predictive utility of these tools in understanding symptom trajectories and responses to treatment. Specific objectives include integrating PRO assessments into routine clinical workflows to enhance screening, diagnosis, and management of BPH; assessing psychometric properties of the LURN SIs, including reliability and clinical significance thresholds; and developing care coordination recommendations to optimize management of persistent symptoms and associated comorbidities identified through PROs.
By utilizing comprehensive PRO measures, this study anticipates refining symptom assessment and improving treatment monitoring, potentially paving the way for personalized care strategies. Integrating these tools into clinical settings can revolutionize the management of LUTS/BPH by providing nuanced insights into patient experiences and outcomes. These findings could inform updates to clinical guidelines and enhance health management strategies tailored to the needs of men suffering from LUTS/BPH, thereby improving overall clinical practices and patient outcomes.
Source: bmcurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12894-024-01500-0
