What’s Bladder Health Awareness Month?
Bladder Health Awareness Month was created Urology Care Foundation, American Urological Association (AUA), and the Bladder Health Alliance in an effort to help bring awareness to bladder conditions and encourage people struggling with their bladder health to seek help.
Bladder health is a key component of one’s overall health and wellbeing. Even though bladder conditions are common, many people feel embarrassed and avoid seeking treatment. In the long run, seeking help and visiting your doctor will benefit your quality of life and help maintain your bladder health.
Bladder Scanning
Bladder scanning is a non-invasive examination using portable ultrasound equipment that provides a 3D image of the bladder. These devices are most commonly used in acute care, long-term care, rehabilitation, and at your physician’s office.
The bladder scan consists of two main parts. These components include an ultrasound monitor and a handheld scanner. For clarity, the ultrasound unit is used to provide a 3D image of the bladder, which will be displayed on the screen. On the other hand, a scanner is a handheld device that contains a transducer. The transducer sends out ultrasound waves that eventually bounce off the bladder and are sent back to the computer for review and interpretation.
When to Consider Bladder Scanning
Bladder scanning can be a very beneficial test for those struggling with particular bladder conditions. Some of these conditions include but aren’t limited to:
- Post-op decreased urinary output
- An enlarged prostate
- A urethral stricture
- Neurogenic bladder
- Spinal cord injuries
- Stroke
- Impaired cognitive ability
- Renal calculi or renal mass
- Urinary incontinence
- Diabetes
Highlighted Specifications
- Easy to use, no need for professional sonographers/extensive training
- Non-invasive and immediate detection of bladder volume
- It can be utilized in various departments
- Can be used as a daily care device for the ward, reducing the urinary tract infection rate that’s associated with catheters
- Used for the evaluation of various urinary diseases such as urinary management and bladder function monitoring
- Also used during rehabilitation nursing of patients with neurogenic bladder, spinal cord injury, and stroke patients to help assess the recovery of bladder functionality
- The ability to measure bladder capacity and bladder pressure before placing a catheter, preventing necessary catheterization
- It can diagnose the different types of urinary incontinence and dysuria, determining the diagnosis and potential treatment plan
Highlighted Features
- Storage of up to 1000 scans
- 8” touch screen
- +/-7.5% accuracy
- 3D mechanical probe, no annual calibration is needed
- Built-in thermal printer
- USB connection for PC
- Expert mode and simple mode
- Intelligent positioning function to ensure the probe is over the bladder prior to the scan
What to Remember
Bladder health doesn’t have to completely take over your life. Spend some time during bladder health awareness month and coordinate with your doctor to determine which treatment is best for you. Additionally, don’t be hesitant about researching different devices such as bladder scanners. The more you know about the product, the faster you can diagnose the prominent bladder issue so that you can come up with a specific treatment plan.
Works Cited:
Lukacz, E S, et al. “A Healthy Bladder: a Consensus Statement.” International Journal of Clinical Practice, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Oct. 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3206217/.
Nurse, Direct Care. “To Scan or Not to Scan? Detecting Urinary Retention : Nursing Made Incredibly Easy.” LWW, journals.lww.com/nursingmadeincrediblyeasy/fulltext/2012/07000/to_scan_or_not_to_scan__detecting_urinary.13.aspx.
“Why National Bladder Health Awareness Month Is Important.” Aeroflow Urology, 23 Oct. 2020, aeroflowurology.com/national-bladder-health-awareness-month/.
