Schultz RE. Smartphone app for in-home uroflowmetry. Urol Pract. 2022;9(6):523-530.

Study Need and Importance

Standard office uroflowmetry creates several clinical and practical headaches for the practicing urologist. The patients may not be well prepared and/or may feel stressed and unable to provide reliable results. The equipment for uroflowmetry adds cost and takes up staff time to execute. Repeat testing means more visits to the office. A new smartphone uroflowmetry app processes the sound of urine flow entering a water-filled standard toilet. A proprietary algorithm creates uroflowmetry results that can be digitally sent directly to the electronic medical record. This app could be an attractive alternative to standard in-office testing.

What We Found

To test a wide range of possible uroflow results, we recruited young men with no voiding complaints and a cohort of mostly older men with obstructive or irritative voiding symptoms. Each participant had a smartphone and was provided with the MenHealth® Smartphone uroflowmetry app and instructions on its use. We compared the results of standard uroflowmetry in the office to those using the smartphone app (see Figure). Using Bland-Altman analysis and a Passing-Bablok nonparametric regression analysis, we conclude that the smartphone app is equivalent to the standard office uroflowmeter.

Limitations

The biggest limitation of this smartphone app is that it requires a water-filled commode to permit an acoustical recording (urinals won’t work). Also, this study did not examine results in women.

Interpretations for Patient Care

We think this novel smartphone app should make uroflowmetry testing much easier, less expensive, and more efficient. If needed, patients can easily repeat the flow test. Use of an at-home smartphone app frees up time and staff in the office for other purposes. The data are collected digitally and integrated into the medical record.