Objective: To measure the course of compliance with French practice guidelines concerning the use of the IPSS score in the management of patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in a teaching hospital urology department.
Material: Data of this study were derived from the computerized clinical information system of the Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud. Using the indicator monitoring method, the use of the IPSS score was compared over time, before and after publication of the guideline.
Results: The study population comprised 1,228 patients followed for BPH over 4 consecutive years. The proportion of patients with an IPSS score during their management was 16.5% before publication of the guideline, versus 53.2% after publication (p < 0.01). During the observation period, this proportion increased from 15.3% in 2002 to 70% in 2005 (p < 0.001). The IPSS score was determined at least twice in 18.6% of patients with annual follow-up of their IPSS score in 26.3% of cases.
Conclusion: A significant improvement of the proportion of patients assessed by the IPSS score in accordance with the guideline was observed, but annual follow-up of the course of the IPSS score must be improved.