Purpose: Explore the application of health promotion cues as a method of behavior modification in a hospital setting among hospital employees suffering from urinary urgency and urge incontinence. Methodology: A survey was developed to identify the prevalence of urinary urgency/incontinence symptoms among hospital workers. The “buzz slogan” Freeze, Squeeze, Breathe (FSB) was used as the health promotion cue to perform kegel exercises to stop urgency symptoms. 9 male and 54 female employees of Passavant Area Hospital were studied. A second survey was designed to evaluate the efficacy of urge suppression health promoting behaviors.

Results: 37% had urge symptoms, and 44% had stress UI. 89% were willing to learn more about kegel exercises and urge suppression. 71% became aware of the FSB slogan from bathroom signs, 62% via their paycheck attachment, 50% from the hospital newsletter , 40% from the information booth and the remaining from WOCN department staff. In the second survey 69% felt that urge suppression worked, 15% didn't try the urge suppression technique, 13% felt that it did not work, and 3% said urge suppression worked sometimes.

Practice Innovation: A poster was distributed to all the hospital bathroom stalls with the behavior modification technique described below: Freeze: at the onset of urgency symptoms, stop what you are doing… Squeeze: tighten your pelvic floor muscle; hold it for 3-5 seconds, repeat as needed. Breathe: once the urgency symptoms subside, proceed to the closest bathroom. Ink pens with the “Freeze, Squeeze, Breathe” slogan were distributed, and a computerized education program about urge incontinence and its treatment was set up to run continuously at an information booth.

Conclusion: The author concludes that a buzz slogan can be utilized as a cue in the health care setting to promote bladder health among hospital employees.