The creation and use of health-related Quality of Life (QOL or HRQOL) tools has been an important part of the U-M Medical School Department of Urology research portfolio for over 20 years.
The Urology team has built QOL instruments, measuring bladder cancer outcomes (BCI), incontinence assessment (M-ISI), and surgical convalescence after GU surgery (CARE).
The Bladder Cancer Index (BCI) was developed by researchers at the University of Michigan to measure health related quality of life among men with bladder cancer. It represents an adaptation of the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index, modified to enhance sensitivity to therapy effects by increasing the number of prostate-targeted items to 50 (compared to 20 in the original UCLA-PCI).
The Department of Urology has developed the Michigan Incontinence Symptom Index (M-ISI), a validated 10-item tool that assesses the type, severity, and impact of urinary incontinence. It supports both clinical evaluation and research.
