Urinary incontinence is a major clinical problem that affects patients of every age group. The assessment, treatment and management of patients with urinary incontinence is best accomplished through the collaboration of a multi-disciplinary, multi-specialty team of health care professionals. Nurses play an integral role in this process, with each nurse addressing the problem of urinary incontinence through the unique perspective of his/her specialty practice. The NIH Consensus Development Conference on Urinary Incontinence, held in October, 1988, explored the problem of urinary incontinence and highlighted the special role of the nurse in caring for incontinent patients. Despite this and other efforts to foster an awareness of the problem among the nursing community, there is still an urgent need to provide nursing continuing education on the subject of urinary incontinence which addresses the concerns of nurses practicing in all clinical areas, which meets the needs of nurses of all educational levels and, which promotes the spirit of collaboration among all nurses in specialty practice. The task of promoting urinary continence is a nursing responsibility. Consequently he National Multi-Specialty Nursing Conference on Urinary Continence was conceived and designed to present practical clinical information to nurses about urinary incontinence through fomal presentations, networking and technical exhibits. This conference was also designed to provide a forum for discussion among nursing specialists and nursing leaders about organized approaches to patient care (including nursing education and certification), as well as avenues for future research.
