MDS Alert

Published on Thu Feb 23, 2012 PDF

The State Operations Manual, Appendix PP, notes that "there are several types of urinary incontinence, and the individual resident may experience more than one type at a time. Some of the more common types include:

• 'Functional Incontinence' refers to loss of urine that occurs in residents whose urinary tract function is sufficiently intact that they should be able to maintain continence, but who cannot remain continent because of external factors (e.g., inability to utilize the toilet facilities in time);
• 'Mixed Incontinence' is the combination of stress incontinence and urge incontinence;
• 'Overflow Incontinence' is associated with leakage of small amounts of urine when the bladder has reached its maximum capacity and has become distended;
• 'Stress Incontinence' (outlet incompetence) is associated with impaired urethral closure (malfunction of the urethral sphincter) which allows small amounts of urine leakage when intra-abdominal pressure on the bladder is increased by sneezing, coughing, laughing, lifting, standing from a sitting position, climbing stairs, etc.;
• 'Transient Incontinence' refers to temporary episodes of urinary incontinence that are reversible once the cause(s) of the episode(s) is (are) identified and treated; and
• 'Urge Incontinence' (overactive bladder) is associated with detrusor muscle overactivity (excessive contraction of the smooth muscle in the wall of the urinary bladder resulting in a sudden, strong urge (also known as urgency) to expel moderate to large amounts of urine before the bladder is full)."