Defining efficacy in the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome.

Patients seek treatment for overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) due to poor quality of life, and perceived improvement in quality of life (QOL) from medical therapy is multifactorial. Many feel that efficacy/success of medical therapy for OAB should not be linked to improvements in 1 or 2 endpoints, but instead should be linked to patient expectation and QOL improvement. Ideally, once patient-centered goals are defined, outcomes should be correlated with relief of symptom(s), patient satisfaction, and goal attainment expectations as a result of treatment.