Cost Effectiveness Evaluation of Bladder Training
National Institute on Aging
01/01/83 - 12/31/89
Teh-wei Hu, Professor of Economics
D. Lynne Kaltreider, Research Associate, Institute for Policy Research and Evaluation
Lucy C. Yu, Professor of Health Policy and Administration
Jessie F. Igou, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Thomas J. Rohner, Jr., Professor of Surgery and Chief, Division of Urology, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Patrick J. Dennis, Assistant Professor of Urology, THe Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
W. Edward Craighead, Professor of Psychology
Nancy S. McDonnell, Research Assistant, Institute for Policy Research and Evaluation
Joseph R. Drago, Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of Urologic Oncology, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
The study assessed the cost-effectiveness of bladder-training therapy for treating urinary incontinence among elderly persons, based on principles of behavior change. The procedures used were increasing fluid intake, prompting individuals to toilet at regular intervals, and reinforcing appropriate toileting behavior. The aims of the project were to (1) estimate the psychosocial, health, and resource costs of urinary incontinence among the elderly; (2) measure the clinical effectiveness of a bladder-training therapy; (3) identify those factors which influence the effectiveness of the therapy; and (4) compare the cost and effectiveness of the bladder-training therapy with management which is not based on bladder training.