Unmet need: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) can cause significant distress to the sufferer and can impair quality of life severely for those affected. Effective treatment of LUTS requires clinical evidence on frequency of events, urine volumes passed and urgency. Current management is based on recording such events using paper diaries.

Solution: A new device, based around NICE guidelines on the identification and management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS), has been developed by MDTi in collaboration with D4D, to provide real benefits to patients and their healthcare providers. The electronic diary will aid diagnosis and reduce inappropriate referrals by improving utilisation of specialist resources and presenting accurate and summarised clinical data to the clinician.

D4D and their commercial partner Medical Device Technologies International (MDTi) are developing a new device based around NICE guidelines on the identification and management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS). The hand-held touch-screen electronic device is used be the patient to record times, volumes passed and the desire to urinate. The device will process the diagnostic information quickly, encourage compliance and will benefit the clinician by replacing the tedious calculations required with the paper diary. The eventual aim of this project is that the handheld device will either be able to interface directly with the clinician's computer or the data can be transmitted to the clinician by email.

Patient Benefits:

• More convenient for the patient to use and therefore more patient compliance
• Potentially greater accuracy/reliability of recorded data
• More discrete
• Can be used on the move
• Appropriate diagnosis and treatment provided faster

GP Benefits:

• Simple procedure that calculates, analyses and packages data
• Potential for algorithms that direct treatment/triage options
• Optimum treatment provided sooner
• Patients managed better
• Cost effectiveness due to reduction in inappropriate referrals to specialists

Continence Nurse Benefits

• Simple data capture and analysis
• Store records for analysis before and after treatment
• Electronic data can be shared between sites and healthcare professionals
• Replace paper based system, easily traceable
• Effective use of nursing staff time

Service Benefit

• Simple intervention and treatments given by GP without need to refer
• Patients requiring more advanced treatments/procedures are seen in the appropriate place at the appropriate time
• More efficient, better use of resources
• Compatible with electronic records
• Compliant with LUTS NICE Guidelines

Specialist Benefits:

• Reduces the number of referrals that could have been diagnosed and treated by GP/Continence Nurse
• Clinics operate more efficiently, only patients requiring specialist intervention are seen
• Potential for electronic population data to be easily accessible for research purposes

It is predicted that the device will:

• Reduce appointments and diagnostic costs by 20 – 35%
• Decrease inappropriate referrals to secondary care by up to 30-70%

A pilot study is being performed in the Urology Department at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts prior to a larger nationwide multicentric trial. Basic prototype ready (Technology Readiness Level – 5)

D4D Partners: MDTi, Medipex, NHS Innovation North, RTC North