October 9, 2018

expert reactions to NICE draft guidelines on the management of urinary incontinence in women

Draft guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)  make several recommendations on the management and research of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women.

Dr Duncan McPherson, Clinical Director, Medical Devices at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said:

“The safety of patients is our highest priority and while we recognise some women do develop serious complications, we also know many women gain benefit from these surgical procedures for what can be extremely debilitating conditions.

“We echo NICE’s view that the decision to use mesh surgery for urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse should be made between the patient and clinician, after discussing all the options and recognising the benefits and risks in the context of the distressing conditions being treated.

“Working with other organisations including NHS England, NICE and professional bodies, we are committed to helping address the serious concerns raised by women who have experienced complications.

We encourage anyone; patient, carer or healthcare professional, who is aware of a complication after a medical device is implanted, to report to us via the Yellow Card scheme, regardless of how long ago the implant was inserted.”

‘National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Guideline: Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women: management’ was published by NICE at 00:01 UK time on Tuesday 9 October 2018.

Declared interests

None received.