A scored form of the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms questionnaire: Data from a randomized controlled trial of surgery for women with stress incontinence

Abstract

Objective Lower urinary tract symptoms are common among older women. The Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (BFLUTS) questionnaire was designed to assess a wide range of symptoms, including incontinence, and impact on sexual function and quality of life. This paper describes development and validation of a scored form BFLUTS questionnaire. Study design Baseline and 6-month follow-up data from a randomized trial compared tension-free vaginal tape with colposuspension for 344 women with urodynamically proven stress incontinence. Problematic and responsive items were identified and subjected to factor analysis to develop a scoring system. Results Three domains were identified to assess symptoms: incontinence (5 items); voiding (3 items); and filling (4 items); with additional subscales for sexual function (2 items) and quality of life (5 items). All scales have simple additive scores. Conclusion A scored form of the BFLUTS questionnaire is now available and should be useful in research and clinical practice in urology and gynecology.