Augustus (Yu Tat) Chan

Randomised sham-controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for overactive bladder in Australian women population.

Overactive Bladder (OAB) is defined as “urgency, with or without urge incontinence, usually with frequency and nocturia” by the International Continence Society (ICS). As reported by South Australian Health Omnibus Survey (SAHOS), the prevalence of urinary incontinence in Australia was highly associated with gender and age, especially more common in female population. OAB is not a fatal condition, it can also cause severe social impact and lead to impaired quality of life to patients.

Until now, the outcomes of the current OAB treatment methods include pharmacological therapy and behavioural intervention that are not desirable. Some previous research demonstrated that acupuncture could be beneficial to OAB patient, including relieving the symptoms and reducing in the frequency of incontinence episodes. However, several limitations of previous studies may potentially bias the result. Furthermore, the mechanism of acupuncture for OAB still remains unclear.

Supervisors:

Dr Mike Armour, Professor Caroline Smith, Dr Carolyn Ee