Advice

The technology

The technology

QuickChange Incontinence Wrap (UI Medical) is an absorbent, disposable, cloth-like material designed to wrap around the penis to collect and absorb urine. It is used for men with incontinence who are unable to leave the bed. The device is circular and encloses the penis. There is a seal that fits the base of the penis, which is intended to prevent leaks. The top of the wrap remains open for heat and moisture to escape. Once folded into place the device has a fan like shape and a hook fastener, which ensures it stays attached. The company expects that between 4 and 6 wraps per day would be needed.

Innovations

The company says that with QuickChange, the urine is absorbed immediately after voiding without urine ever touching the skin, unlike with briefs. Also, QuickChange can be changed with minimal disturbance to the person wearing it, with no lifting or rolling needed. It can be done by 1 person in less than 30 seconds.

Current care pathway

Treatment for urinary incontinence depends on the type and severity of symptoms. The first line of treatment includes lifestyle changes, pelvic floor muscle training and bladder training. If these treatments do not work, medicines and surgery are considered. Incontinence products are not a treatment for urinary incontinence but can be used to manage the condition while waiting for a diagnosis or for the treatment to work. A wide range of products and devices are available for urinary incontinence and the most popular option are pads and pants (adult briefs). Other options include bed and chair protection, catheters and penile sheaths, skincare and hygiene products and specially adapted clothing and swimwear.

The following publications have been identified as relevant to this care pathway:

Population, setting and intended user

QuickChange Incontinence Wrap is for men with urinary incontinence who are unable to leave the bed. It is not suitable for men with high pressure urine streams.

The technology is likely to be used in acute care hospitals, care homes and home care by technical staff lower than band 5 (non-nurses), carers and potentially by family members.

Training is not needed but highly recommended. The company provides 3 forms of training for professionals, which are all free of charge:

  • Onsite training in almost all hospitals, and per-case determination in care homes. Typically, 2 days are spent in each facility.

  • Virtual training over Zoom or other platforms. These are open to everyone and can be personal or team scheduled. The virtual training takes 30 minutes: 15 minutes of training and 15 minutes for questions.

  • Videos that cover training and frequently asked questions. These videos are available on the website and can be downloaded and reuploaded for future use and referencing.

Costs

Technology costs

The technology is available in packs of 10 and 25, which are available in 2 cases. Case UIM1010 has 10 packs including 10 wraps each. These are for short-term acute care hospitals where patient stays are measured in hours and days. Case UIM1025 has 4 packs including 25 wraps each. These are for long-term facilities like care homes and home care where patient stays are measured in weeks, months and years.

  • UIM1010 costs between £93 and £108 per case and between £0.93 and £1.08 per wrap.

  • UIM1025 costs between £77 and £89 per case and between £0.77 and £0.89 per wrap.

Daily usage of wraps depends on the nature of the person's condition, but typically for men with incontinence, it is between 4 and 6 wraps a day, which costs between £3.97 and £5.48 depending on which case is used.

Costs of standard care

The company states that adult briefs and catheters both have direct and indirect costs.

The costs for adult briefs depend on size, capacity and quality. Direct costs are as follows:

  • large adult brief: £0.42

  • bariatric diaper: £1.27

  • wipes: £0.07 per change (includes 3 cleaning wipes)

  • moisturiser: £0.23 per change

  • barrier cream: £0.62 per change

  • gloves: depending on the protocol, more than 1 set of gloves may have to be used.

With an average of 4.6 changes a day, the cost of using adult briefs is estimated to be around £7.45 a day, including all additional costs (cleaning wipes, moisturiser, barrier cream and gloves).

Indirect costs for adult briefs include health issues, labour of changing the briefs, laundry and emotional impact. The company states that health issues include incontinence-associated dermatitis, which is a leading cause of pressure ulcers. The company states that treatment for incontinence-associated dermatitis is estimated to be between £116 and £154. The cost of pressure ulcers ranges from £1,157 to £15,431.

Short-term catheters can be left in for 3 weeks and long-term catheters for 3 months. With increased duration, there is an increased chance of bacterial infection. Catheters cost between £5.40 and £11.57.

The indirect costs are the same for catheters as they are for adult briefs, with 1 minor addition. Catheter users are highly susceptible to catheter-acquired urinary tract infections. The company states that the costs for treating these infections ranges from £1,543 to £6,173.

Resource consequences

The company states that the technology is currently not used in the NHS.

The company states that the QuickChange Incontinence Wrap is cheaper than Foley catheters, condom catheters, hydrocolloid catheters and intermittent catheters. It also states that QuickChange is cheaper than adult briefs. Also, the company claims that QuickChange does not cause catheter-associated urinary tract infection and prevents incontinence-associated dermatitis and pressure ulcers associated with current incontinence care for men, reducing associated costs. The company claims that technical staff lower than band 5 can use QuickChange instead of a nurse.