Medical record documentation of peripartum urinary incontinence

OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of medical record documentation of urinary incontinence (UI) symptoms during the third trimester of pregnancy and postpartum period. STUDY DESIGN: Third-trimester prenatal patients were invited to participate in an institutional board-approved prospective study. Participants completed the 15-item, validated Medical, Epidemiological and Social Aspects of Aging (MESA) questionnaire. The MESA was readministered to participants during a 6-8-week postpartum visit. Outpatient and inpatient medical records were reviewed to determine whether UI symptoms were documented. RESULTS: One hundred sixty women had antenatal MESA and 90 had postpartum MESAs. Of the 160 women with antenatal MESAs, 118 were symptomatic (73%). Five medical records (3.1%) reflected any assessment of UI. Postpartum, 43% of women were incontinent by MESA. Documentation of incontinence assessment was present in 21% of medical records. CONCLUSION: Medical record documentation of UI symptom screening throughout pregnancy and postpartum rarely occurred in this study population.