Comparison of urination time between handwritten record in a bladder diary and automatic record using a uroflowmeter: Study in healthy subjects and hospitalized patients

A bladder diary records the urination time and is used for the diagnosis of patients with urination disorders. We have developed a non-contact uroflowmeter system to record urination time. In this study, we compared the urination time recorded by the uroflowmeter system, which is used as a standard, and that recorded manually in a bladder diary. Time differences between the two methods of recording urination time were evaluated in 645 urinations in healthy subjects (Subj group) and 102 urinations in hospitalized patients (P_Subj group). Individuals in the Subj group confirmed the urination time using a radio controlled clock, while those in the P_Subj group confirmed the time using their own clock according to standard medical care procedures. The differences in urination time recorded manually by participants in the P_Subj group were due to human error, and the time differences were significantly longer than those in the Subj group. These results suggest that the uroflowmeter system will be useful for monitoring urination time for the bladder diary.