Self assessment tool provide a meaningful measure of pelvic floor health in women.

The Electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire (ePAQ) is an interactive, web-based symptom and quality of life assessment system created at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals trust. It is being used in urogynaecology pelvic floor medicine, offering comprehensive patient self assessment of urinary, bowel, vaginal and sexual symptoms in the privacy of patients’ own homes.  It is now routinely offered to women referred to the service before their consultation. The password secured information is used to generate a report providing scores in 19 clinical domains, including stress incontinence and sexual problems, to aid clinical interventions, including physiotherapy.

ePAQ® provides an interactive approach to the assessment of pelvic floor symptoms in women.  It offers a reliable and intelligent software analysis from a set of user-friendly questions.  The use of a personal computer ensures individuals are free to answer questions without embarrassment – the results from the questionnaire session does not show answers to questions, merely scores based on the information provided.

Creator Stephen Radley, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the trust, said: ‘The system substantially changes the way care is delivered by enhancing communication and understanding of intimate issues. ePAQ provides us with tremendous insight into patients’ conditions.’ This system could be a really useful adjunct to physiotherapists when making initial assessments as it highlights areas of particular concern for patients that would allow physiotherapists to target interventions most effectively.

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