Question

A client has urge incontinence. Which of the following signs and symptoms would the nurse expect to find in this client?

1) Inability to empty the bladder
2) Loss of urine when coughing
3) Involuntary urination with minimal warning
4) Frequent dribbling of urine

Answer 1

A nurse would expect to find that a client with urge incontinence experiences involuntary urination with minimal warning. This occurs due to sudden bladder muscle contractions, leading to significant urine leakage without enough time to reach a bathroom.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a client has urge incontinence, the nurse should expect to find that the client experiences involuntary urination with minimal warning. This type of incontinence, often referred to as an 'overactive bladder', is characterized by unexpected and sudden contractions of the bladder muscle (detrusor muscle), which lead to an urgent need to urinate and the potential for leakage before reaching a restroom. The hallmark sign of urge incontinence is the lack of sufficient warning to get to the bathroom, resulting in leakage of a significant amount of urine.

Other types of urinary incontinence, such as stress urinary incontinence, involve loss of urine with an increase in abdominal pressure, like coughing or sneezing, but that is not applicable to urge incontinence. Frequent dribbling of urine and inability to empty the bladder are typically associated with other conditions and are not key symptoms of urge incontinence.