Both theoretical and anecdotal evidence suggest that urinary incontinence brings with it psychological effects and that these play an important role in patient response to treatment. Nevertheless, previous research has not systematically examined the physical and the psychosocial aspects of urinary incontinence from the perspectives of the patients as well as their physicians. The medical staff and 39 continence clinic patients answered questionnaires measuring the following aspects of the patients' experience of incontinence: (a) physical, (b) psychological, (c) social, and (d) knowledge about their incontinence and its treatment. Results showed (1) the medical staff perceived greater improvement than the patients did, (2) the patients placed greater emphasis on the psychological and social aspects than did the staff, and (3) patient satisfaction is more strongly associated with improvements in disease severity.
