Home Care Quality Measures -
Percent of Patients Whose Bladder Control Improves

---

This percentage addresses the ratio of home care patients whose bladder control improves. Higher percentages are better.

Why is this important?

Losing control of one’s bladder can be as mild as leaking urine when coughing to having no control of bladder functions. At least one in 10 people over 65 have this problem, but it is more common in women. If a patient loses control of their bladder, skin can become irritated, which can grow into a serious health problem. People with bladder control problems may lose the ability or desire to perform normal daily activities.

Loss of bladder control may be caused by many things, including:

• diseases that affect nerves and/or muscles
• urinary tract or vaginal infections
• Constipation
• the effects of certain medicines
• an enlarged prostate
• weak or overactive bladder muscles
• physical or medical conditions, such as arthritis or surgery, that make it hard to get to the bathroom or toilet
• diabetes

However, loss of bladder control is often treatable, depending on the cause. It is important that personal doctors and home health staff help patients to improve their bladder control. A catheter (a tube inserted into the bladder and left in place, which is attached to a bag that collects urine) is sometimes used to address bladder control problems, but certainly is not the only answer.

Home care staff should help patients improve bladder control by:

• teaching them exercises to strengthen the muscles that control the bladder
• helping them plan and get to the bathroom on time
• teaching them about and monitoring their medicines
• letting the doctor know about any changes to patients’ health

Even if treatment isn’t completely successful, the home care staff should help the patient feel more comfortable and more able to cope. They should explain absorbent products such as panty liners pads and adult briefs, and they should teach them good skin care in order to avoid complications.

The U.S. and state averages for this measure were provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).