Quality standard
Quality statement 7: Specialist assessment – flow rate and post-void residual volume
Quality statement 7: Specialist assessment – flow rate and post-void residual volume
Quality statement
Men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are offered a measurement of flow rate and post-void residual volume, as part of their specialist assessment.
Rationale
Measuring flow rate and post-void residual volume by post-micturition bladder scan allows a healthcare professional with specific training to more accurately determine the cause of the LUTS (for example, prostatic obstruction). Both measurements are performed as part of a specialist assessment and are non-invasive and time efficient.
Quality measures
Structure
Evidence of local arrangements to ensure that men with LUTS are offered a measurement of flow rate and post-void residual volume, as part of their specialist assessment.
Data source: Local data collection.
Process
Proportion of men with LUTS who have flow rate and post-void residual volume measured, as part of their specialist assessment.
Numerator – the number of men in the denominator who have flow rate and post-void residual volume measured at the time of specialist assessment.
Denominator – the number of men with LUTS undergoing specialist assessment.
Data source: Local data collection.
What the quality statement means for different audiences
Service providers ensure that there are local arrangements for men with LUTS to be offered a measurement of flow rate and post-void residual volume, as part of their specialist assessment.
Healthcare professionals offer men with LUTS a measurement of flow rate and post-void residual volume, as part of their specialist assessment.
Commissioners ensure that they commission services with local arrangements to offer men with LUTS a measurement of flow rate and post-void residual volume, as part of their specialist assessment.
Men with LUTS are offered tests to measure how fast their urine is flowing and the volume of urine left in the bladder after they have been to the toilet, as part of their specialist assessment.
Source guidance
Lower urinary tract symptoms in men: management. NICE guideline CG97 (2010), recommendation 1.2.5
Definitions of terms used in this quality statement
Flow rate
Flow rate refers to the speed at which the urine is passed in millilitres of urine passed per second (ml/s).