Resources for the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment based

Proactive and Personalised Primary Care of the Elderly

IPSS

International Prostate Symptom Score

Purpose : To capture the severity of urinary symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia

 

Admin time :  5 min

User Friendly :  High

Administered by : Self 

 

Content : Questions pertaining to incomplete emptying, frequency, urgency, weak stream, straining, nocturia and quality of living.

 

Author :  (Barry M J, 1992)

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Ref. : Barry MJ, Fowler FJ, O'leary MP et al. The American Urological Association Symptom Index for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Journal of Urology 1992;148:1549-1557

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©  Mapi Research Trust, PROVIDE™, 27 rue de la Villette'  69003 Lyon  France

About the I-PSS

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Created from the American Urologic Association Symptom Index (AUA-SI).

 

The International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) is based on the answers to seven questions concerning urinary symptoms and one question concerning quality of life.

 

Each question concerning urinary symptoms allows the patient to choose one out of six answers indicating increasing severity of the particular symptom.

The answers are assigned points from 0 to 5.

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The total score can therefore range from 0 to 35 (asymptomatic to very symptomatic).

 

The questions refer to the following urinary symptoms:

1. Incomplete emptying

2. Frequency

3. Intermittency

4. Urgency

5. Weak Stream

6. Straining

7. Nocturia

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Question eight refers to the patient’s perceived quality of life.

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The first seven questions of the I-PSS are identical to the questions appearing on the American Urological Association (AUA) Symptom Index which currently categorizes symptoms as follows:

Mild (symptom score less than or equal to 7)

Moderate (symptom score range 8-19) Severe (symptom score range 20-35)

 

The International Scientific Committee (SCI), under the patronage of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), recommends the use of only a single question to assess the quality of life.

The answers to this question range from “delighted” to “terrible” or 0 to 6.

Although this single question may or may not capture the global impact of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms or quality of life, it may serve as a valuable starting point for a doctor-patient conversation.

This Tool is used in the assessment of

Urinary Incontinence

Back To : Urinary Incontinence

Urinary Incontinence is one of 4 conditions identified as

Geriatric Syndromes

Back To : Geriatric Syndromes