Welcome to the UW Pediatric Urology Ongoing Studies Page
The Pediatric Urology team at UW-Madison believes that improving patient care requires our investment in cutting-edge research. Our department works in science labs, one-on-one with patients – aiming to improve healthcare systems. We are proud to play a role in several national research efforts, including the Society for Fetal Urology’s Hydronephrosis Registry and the Society for Pediatric Urology’s Hypospadias Task Force.
If you would like to get involved, please see the opportunities below. We appreciate your time! If you have questions about any of these studies, please contact our Research Program Manager, Rocio Goodman, at goodman@urology.wisc.edu.
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Using a Mobile App to track Pediatric Bowel and Bladder Symptoms
Study Title: Patient and Family Perspectives on The Use of a Mobile Application in Tracking Pediatric Bowel and Bladder Symptoms
If you or your child has problems with peeing and pooping, you can join a special study. We’re making a phone app to help people with bowel and bladder problems. If you or your child has these problems, you can be part of our study. We want to know if families like yours would like to use a phone app along with their regular treatments. The study is for people who already know a bit about these problems and got some tips on how to feel better.
We’ll do the study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison clinic. If you’re able to, we’d love for you to join in! If you join in this study, you’ll be asked to do a quick 5-minute survey.
Study on Kidney Swelling before Baby is Born
Study Title: Prenatal Hydronephrosis Registry
This study is about something called prenatal hydronephrosis. This happens when pee gets stuck in the kidney, making it swell. There are different reasons why this can happen. If you’re pregnant and your baby has this or if you already have a child with it, you can join the study if you want.
If you decide to be part of the study, you’ll talk to someone from the study team and sign a paper saying it’s okay. They’ll answer any questions you have. You won’t have any special treatments or things done to you.
The team will look at records of people who said yes to being in the study, both before and after their baby is born. They’ll also put this info into a special book made by Virginia Commonwealth University. This book will help with more studies later on to figure out the best ways to check babies with hydronephrosis after they’re born. The info they collect includes things like your age, pictures of your baby’s kidney and bladder, test results, what the doctor finds, and what’s done to help.
Transition of Care for Spina Bifida in Pediatric Urology
Study Title: Transition of Care for Spina Bifida in Pediatric Urology
For Adult Patients over 18 y/o
For Children over 11 and less than 18 y/o
We are making a helpful tool for families dealing with spina bifida. Spina bifida is something some people are born with that can affect their spine, which can also affect how well you can use the toilet to pee and poop.
We’re looking for experts and people who take care of those with spina bifida to give their thoughts on this tool. We made a survey with questions about what this tool should be like and do.
The survey won’t take too long, about 15-20 minutes. You don’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to, and you can stop anytime. Your answers will be private and won’t be shared with anyone except the research team.
Sexual Health in Adolescents and Young Adults
Study Title: Assessing Sexual Health in Adolescents and Young Adults
This is a special form to ask you questions about your body and feelings as you grow up. It’s for teenagers who have special needs with their bodies. We want to know how you feel about yourself and your health – and answer any questions you have. Your answers will be kept private, and you don’t have to answer any questions that make you feel weird. Your answers will help us understand how to help you better and give you good advice. We hope the information we get helps you talk more with your doctor and makes them better at helping you with your body and feelings.
A Study Looking at Children with Bladder and Bowel Dysfunction
Study Title: Urinary Serotonin Metabolites in Children with Bladder Bowel Dysfunction – Pilot Study
Bladder and bowel dysfunction (BBD) in children means their pee and poop don’t always come out the right way. This study wants to find out how chemicals in the brain, called serotonin, and other things like how kids think and feel might affect BBD. Kids who join the study will be asked to give a pee sample just once for the study. At first, we’ll check the pee of kids with BBD and compare it to kids without BBD. The kids without BBD are ones who had kidney stones before and get checked for pee infections regularly.
Emotional impact of Fetal Kidney Problems – and how Mothers Cope
Study Title: Fetal Hydronephrosis Maternal Anxiety Project
We’re doing a study focused on how moms feel and deal with their feelings when they find out their baby might have a kidney problem before birth. You got this letter because you’re the mom or birth parent of a baby who was found to have something called hydronephrosis (which means their kidney was bigger than it should be) before they were born.
The point of this study is to see how finding out about this kidney problem before the baby is born affects your family, your pregnancy, and when the baby is born (like how much they weigh, and if they need extra care).
For our study, we’ll ask you to fill out three question papers. They’ll ask how you felt when you found out about the baby’s kidney problem during the special picture test (ultrasound) while you were pregnant. It might take about 15 to 20 minutes to finish. As a thank you for helping, you’ll get $15 in cash.
You don’t have to join in if you don’t want to. It won’t change how you or your baby are taken care of. It’s totally up to you.
Thanks for reading this!