Devices for Dignity (D4D) is all about targeting areas of unmet clinical need. Within this programme, we aim to be responsive to patient needs - we're focused on improving both diagnosis and quality of life for those experiencing voiding difficulties and also with urinary continence issues.

Lower urinary tract symptoms can be the cause of morbidity and can severely impair quality of life for those affected. There are three main types of symptom:

• Storage symptoms: which affect frequency, urgency and continence
• Voiding symptoms: difficulty in passing urine and emptying the bladder
• Post-voiding symptoms: a feeling of incomplete bladder emptying or dribbling of urine

"In identifying clinical and patient needs and helping to develop new technologies and devices, we aim to speed up the rate at which innovative new methods of managing lower urinary tract symptoms reach patients." - Professor Christopher Chapple, D4D Theme Lead

It is estimated that up to 30 per cent of women by the age of 65 will have needed treatment for incontinence or related storage symptoms - sometimes these can be as a result of damage from childbirth.

Men often develop increased difficulty in passing urine which may require intervention as they age. It is estimated that up to 25 per cent of men, by the age of 65, will require intervention for voiding difficulty relating to the enlargement of the prostate, causing obstruction to the bladder. By the age of 70 a substantial proportion of men experience problems with storage symptoms and continence.

To improve diagnosis we are facilitating the development of diagnostic techniques to assist and improve the assessment of symptoms through the use of new technologies and a better understanding of patients' experiences.

Urinary tract issues can be a major source of embarrassment and discomfort for many people. Whilst most patients are managed through exercises and drug therapy, a substantial number still require intervention through devices or surgery.

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