Managing children with daytime urinary incontinence: a survey of Dutch general practitioners

Background: In the Netherlands, parents of children with daytime urinary incontinence (UI) first consult general practitioners (GPs). However, GPs need more specific guidelines for daytime UI management, resulting in care and referral decisions being made without clear guidance.

Objectives: We aimed to identify Dutch GP considerations when treating and referring a child with daytime UI.

Methods: We invited GPs who referred at least one child aged 4-18 years with daytime UI to secondary care. They were asked to complete a questionnaire about the referred child and the management of daytime UI in general.

Results: Of 244 distributed questionnaires, 118 (48.4%) were returned by 94 GPs. Most reported taking a history and performing basic diagnostic tests like urine tests (61.0%) and physical examinations (49.2%) before referral. Treatment mostly involved lifestyle advice, with only 17.8% starting medication. Referrals were usually at the explicit wish of the child/parent (44.9%) or because of symptom persistence despite treatment (39.0%). GPs usually referred children to a paediatrician (n = 99, 83.9%), only referring to a urologist in specific situations. Almost half (41.4%) of the GPs did not feel competent to treat children with daytime UI and more than half (55.7%) wanted a clinical practice guideline. In the discussion, we explore the generalisability of our findings to other countries.

Conclusion: GPs usually refer children with daytime UI to a paediatrician after a basic diagnostic assessment, usually without offering treatment. Parental or child demand is the primary stimulus for referral.