Patients may soon be able to check their urination status at home using their smartphones after a research team at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) demonstrated the reliability of a mobile app that allows users to measure urination status.
A SNUBH research team, led by Professor Lee Sang-chul, demonstrated the clinical reliability of the smartphone app proudP for at-home urination monitoring in patients following urological surgery. (Credit: SNUBH)
Uroflowmetry is a hospital-based test that evaluates urination by measuring maximum flow rate and voided volume while the patient urinates into a specialized device.
The test is mainly used to assess preoperative and postoperative urination status in patients with urological conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia. However, the test requires patients to urinate at a specific time and typically requires a hospital visit.
To address this issue, the research team led by Lee Sang-chul of the Department of Urology conducted a prospective study to evaluate the reliability of the proudP app, which allows patients to measure their urination status.
The proudP app uses acoustic uroflowmetry technology that analyzes the sound generated when urine hits toilet water. When a user urinates with a smartphone aimed at the toilet, the app measures maximum flow rate and voided volume without additional equipment.
The app has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and currently holds a user rating of 4.7 on the App Store.
The research team conducted both the app test and hospital uroflowmetry immediately after surgery and at two, six, and 12 weeks after surgery to compare the results.
The comparison showed a strong correlation, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.743 between the maximum flow rate measured by the app and hospital test results.
The study tracked the recovery process of patients for 12 weeks after surgery rather than testing the app only in healthy individuals.
The results showed that the app reflected gradual improvements in urination after surgery similarly to hospital tests.
The app recorded an increase in maximum flow rate from an average of 13.0 mL/s before surgery to 20.9 mL/s 12 weeks later.
Patient-reported symptom improvement also corresponded with improvements in urination speed measured by the app. The average satisfaction score for app use was 9.4 out of 10, and patients aged 70 or older were able to use the app without difficulty.
“Patients with urological diseases often need to visit the hospital periodically to check their recovery status after surgery,” Lee said. “Using the mobile app, they can check their urination status and patterns at home and monitor symptom changes.”
Lee added that the app could also be used in other areas where voiding dysfunction occurs, including after spinal surgery.
The study was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Source: https://www.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=30796
