Nearly half of GPs are following the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (Nice's) guidance on the management of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men, a survey has found.

LUTs may be characterised by a range of symptoms, including male incontinence, urinary frequency, urgency, regular visits to the bathroom during the night and voiding problems.

Last year, Nice published its first guideline on the management of LUTs and it seems that many GPs are adhering to the advice.

According to a poll of 201 GPs by Opinion Health on behalf of pharmaceutical company GSK, 46 per cent of family doctors follow the guideline and 41 per cent feel they now have greater confidence in conducting diagnostic tests.

Four-fifths of GPs who said they now implement the guideline also revealed that they have witnessed a reduction in referral costs since its publication.

Dr John Rees, a GP with a special interest in urology, said: "These results show the importance of continuing to raise awareness and drive uptake of the guideline to ensure optimal patient care at a time when NHS resources are stretched and there are increasing pressures for savings to be made."