Incontinence pads-maker Tena on Friday said it has stopped calling patients about their incontinence problems.

Tena has been calling patients on behalf of dispensing chemists all summer to ascertain how bad their problem is and how many pads they need. Patient details were given to Tena by the dispensing chemists.
The news caused uproar on Thursday when it was disclosed the company was calling patients without permission with a list of questions. The object of the research was to create a ‘user profile’ for the dispensing chemists.
The chemists had been told by healthcare insurer Achmea to divide patients who need pads into categories, from light to heavy. In order to save time, the dispensing chemists outsourced the job to Tena.
Discussions
Tena says it has stopped calling patients while it discusses the situation with ‘all involved parties’.
Patients were being asked by dispensing chemists if they agreed to be called by someone from Tena. ‘But with so many people to call, it’s no wonder things sometimes go wrong,’ the company said in a statement.
‘It is not Tena that decides the brand and how many pads are necessary, but the dispensing chemist,’ the company said.
On Thursday, health minister Edith Schippers said dispensing chemists should not pass confidential patient information to commercial companies and must keep within the privacy laws.
She will look into the situation and take ‘suitable’ action, she said.