Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40524563›Full record

ArticleNeurogastroenterology and motility2025

Development and Validation of a Bowel Diary for Fecal Incontinence: Comparison With a Questionnaire.

Mohsin F Butt, Satish S C Rao, William E Whitehead, Stefanie Twist, Ann C Lowry, Jennifer M Wu, Kent R Bailey, Adil E Bharucha

Abstract readMulticenter StudyValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Neurogastroenterology and motility, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Mohsin F ButtDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0859-6470
Satish S C RaoDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4446-8452
William E WhiteheadDepartment of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6587-7602
Stefanie TwistDepartment of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Ann C LowryDivision of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Jennifer M WuDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Kent R BaileyDivision of Clinical Trials and Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Adil E BharuchaDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7644-0390

Funding

Fecal Incontinence Treatment Study (FIT Study)U01DK115575 · NIDDK · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI BHARUCHA, ADIL E. · 2018 to 2023
$10.0M
Comparative Effectiveness of Biofeedback, Sacral Nerve Stimulation, and Injectable Bulking Agents for Treatment of Fecal IncontinenceU34DK109191 · NIDDK · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI BHARUCHA, ADIL E., GANTZ, MARIE G · 2016 to 2017
$711k
NIDDK NIH HHS DK109191NIDDK NIH HHS DK115575NIDDK NIH HHS U01 DK115575NIDDK NIH HHS U34 DK109191
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsBowel diaries are used to characterize the severity of fecal incontinence (FI) but have not been adequately validated for this purpose. Our aims were to validate a new bowel diary and to compare the characteristics of FI as assessed with a bowel diary and a validated questionnaire.

methodsIn this four-center prospective study, patients with a history of FI and asymptomatic controls completed a 28-day bowel diary and validated questionnaires to evaluate bowel habits and FI, quality of life related to FI (FIQoL), and PROMIS scales for anxiety, depression, and self-efficacy.

resultsAmong 59 participants with FI and 29 asymptomatic controls, the bowel diary was 97% sensitive and 93% specific for distinguishing between FI participants and controls. Over 28 days, FI participants experienced an average [SD] of 31.1 [50.7] FI episodes, consisting of staining (12.6 [14.9]), some stool (12.5 [20.3]), or a full bowel movement (4.4 [8.5]). Correlations between the questionnaire and diary were statistically significant for frequency (Spearman ρ = 0.5, p < 0.001), amount (ρ = 0.4, p < 0.001), and awareness of FI (ρ = 0.3, p = 0.04). In 71% of participants, there was agreement between the consistency of FI as reported in the questionnaire and the diary. More severe FI was associated with poorer FIQoL (p = 0.002). Anxiety, depression, and self-efficacy scores did not significantly affect the agreement between the frequency of FI reported in the diary and questionnaire.

conclusionThis bowel diary effectively discriminates between healthy participants and those with FI. There is significant, albeit modest, agreement between the characteristics of FI recorded with a diary and a questionnaire.

Indexed as

Diaries as TopicFecal IncontinenceAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesQuality of LifeSurveys and Questionnairesanal incontinencediarrheaepidemiology

Identifiers

PMID40524563
PMCPMC12353896

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.