Voiding Improvement Program |Overview
Here at Boston Children's, the Voiding Improvement Program uses non-invasive methods, including biofeedback, to help children and their families overcome a wide variety of urinary issues, including difficulty with toileting issues,daytimeandnighttime incontinenceand recurrenturinary tract infections.
The Boston Children's Hospital Voiding Improvement Program (VIP) understands that urinary continence is an essential aspect of a child's socialization. Urinary issues can:
- create stress, anxiety and embarrassment for children
- keep them from enjoying sleepovers and other typical social activities
- affect a child’s school attendance and performance
- lead to missed work days for parents
What is enuresis?
Enuresis is the medical term for involuntary urination or “wetting.” Most children have control of their bladders by age 4 for daytime control and by age 6 for nighttime control. Still, enuresis affects up to 20 percent of first-grade boys and 17 percent of first-grade girls.
About urinary issues in children
Children experience many types and degrees of urinary issues. Very often,dysfunctional elimination syndromeis the underlying cause of these issues. While most children become toilet trained by age 3 or 4, some older children still have trouble achieving dryness, either during the day, at night, or sometimes both. Other children may stay dry for a period of time and then begin wetting again.
Still others experience recurrenturinary tract infection (UTI)following toilet training, which can be frustrating for families and primary care providers.
VIP: evaluation and treatment
Our VIP team will first evaluate your child to make sure that a more serious underlying medical or surgical issue is not present in your child’s urinary problems. We will then take a comprehensive and holistic approach to treating your child's elimination issues—with a customized treatment plan tailored to the patient's individual needs.
And at every step of the way, our experienced team of pediatric urologists, nurse practitioners and staff will guide your child, and you, through this important process with skill, compassion and empathy.
Conditions we evaluate and treat
- Enuresis (urinary incontinence)
- Bedwetting (Nocturnal Enuresis)
- irritative voiding symptoms such as urgency & frequency
- recurrentUrinary Tract Infection (UTI)
- voiding dysfunctionand dysfunctional elimination syndrome