Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy.
Division of Urology, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 13;20(4):3287. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043287.
Uroflowmetry (UF) is a crucial guideline-recommended tool for men with benign prostatic obstruction (BPO). Moreover, UF is a helpful decision-making tool for the management of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In the last few years, telemedicine and telehealth have increased exponentially as cost-effective treatment options for both patients and physicians. Telemedicine and telehealth have been well positioned during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent healthcare system overload and to ensure adequate management of patients through screening, diagnosis, and follow-up at home. In the present manuscript, the main characteristics and performance of a novel and low-cost device for home-based UF have been analyzed. The simple weight-transducer method has been applied to perform UF. An inexpensive load cell connected to a 24 bit analogic digital converter (ADC) sends data to a cloud server via SIM card or home Wi-Fi. Data are processed and shown in graphics with both volume and flow rate as a function of time, allowing for measurement of average flow rate, maximum flow rate, voided volume, and voiding time. A numerical algorithm allows for filtering of the dynamic effect due to the urine gravity acceleration and for removing the funnel to simplify the home measurement procedure. Through an online platform, the physician can see and compare each UF data. The device's reliability has been validated in a first laboratory setting and showed excellent performance. This approach based on domiciliary tests and an online platform can revolutionize the urologic clinic landscape by offering a constant patient cost-effective follow-up, eliminating the time wasted waiting in the office setting.
尿流率测定（UF）是一种针对良性前列腺梗阻（BPO）男性的重要指南推荐工具。此外，UF 是一种有助于决策的工具，可用于管理下尿路症状（LUTS）和良性前列腺增生（BPH）患者。在过去几年中，远程医疗和远程保健作为患者和医生的具有成本效益的治疗选择呈指数级增长。远程医疗和远程保健在 COVID-19 大流行期间表现出色，可以防止医疗系统过载，并通过在家中进行筛查、诊断和随访来确保对患者的充分管理。在本手稿中，分析了一种新型低成本家用 UF 设备的主要特点和性能。简单的重量传感器方法已应用于 UF。一个廉价的称重传感器连接到 24 位模数转换器（ADC），通过 SIM 卡或家庭 Wi-Fi 将数据发送到云服务器。数据以图形方式进行处理和显示，显示随时间变化的体积和流速，允许测量平均流速、最大流速、排空量和排空时间。数值算法允许滤除由于尿液重力加速度引起的动态效应，并去除漏斗以简化家庭测量过程。通过在线平台，医生可以看到和比较每个 UF 数据。该设备的可靠性已在第一个实验室环境中得到验证，性能出色。这种基于家庭测试和在线平台的方法可以通过提供患者具有成本效益的持续随访，消除在办公室环境中浪费的等待时间，从而彻底改变泌尿科诊所的面貌。
