How to cite: Streeper NM. SipIT Behavioral Intervention: Using Technology to Increase Fluid Intake for Kidney Stone Prevention. Grand Rounds in Urology. February 2026. Accessed Oct 2026. https://grandroundsinurology.com/sipit-behavioral-intervention-using-technology-to-increase-fluid-intake-for-kidney-stone-prevention/
Summary
Necole M. Streeper, MD, Associate Professor of Urology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, discusses the SipIT intervention, a research-based, behavioral intervention system designed to help kidney stone patients increase fluid intake to prevent future stones. SipIT is designed to address common barriers such as forgetting to drink, lack of thirst, and difficulty sustaining habits over time.
Dr. Streeper reviews the development of SipIT as a multi-component intervention that incorporates connected water bottle technology, mobile self-monitoring, wrist-worn sensors that detect drinking gestures, and a decision system that identifies lapses in fluid intake. A central concept is that reminders are delivered only when patients are falling behind their fluid goals, rather than at fixed intervals, to reduce burden while supporting behavior change.
This approach may improve habit formation, reduce forgetting as a reported barrier, and increase urine output. Dr. Streeper discusses lessons from the iterative refinement of the intervention, including adjustments to reminder timing based on participant feedback and the incorporation of tailored message content.
Dr. Streeper also outlines the randomized R01 trial evaluating SipIT compared with usual care in patients with low baseline urine volume. In addition to evaluating efficacy, the study is designed to explore which behavioral and biological factors may be associated with response. Dr. Streeper highlights that digital tools may have value when paired with behavioral strategies and tailored to patient-specific barriers, while positioning SipIT as an adjunct to, not a replacement for, conventional kidney stone prevention counseling.
About the 45th Annual Ralph E. Hopkins Urology Seminar
The Annual Ralph E. Hopkins Urology Seminar, also known as the Jackson Hole Seminars, brings together distinguished urologists, clinical researchers, and thought leaders to share wisdom and experience that drives meaningful progress in patient care. Changes occur in medicine and urology on an almost daily basis, so it is imperative that the practicing urologist remains on the cutting edge. Urologists need to keep current on assessing, diagnosing, and treating urologic conditions in the clinical setting. The 45th meeting took place in 2026, focusing on urologic cancers, stone disease, urologic reconstruction, female urology, infertility, emerging surgical techniques, and general urology. 2026 also marked the meeting’s first-ever all-female speaker panel.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Necole M. Streeper, MD, is an Associate Professor of Urology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin. She specializes in surgically treating complex kidney stone disease and the prevention of kidney stones.
Dr. Streeper earned her medical degree from the University of Iowa. After a residency in Urology at the University of Texas Health Science Center, she completed a fellowship in Endourology and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Streeper’s clinical research is dedicated to improving the prevention and treatment of kidney stones, and she is interested in identifying management strategies to improve the quality of life in patients with kidney stones. She has received NIH/NIDDK grant support to develop technology (SipIT) to improve fluid consumption for the prevention of kidney stones. Dr. Streeper is the lead investigator for MCW as a research site in the North American Stone Quality of Life Consortium, and has authored more than 50 research publications and book chapters in the field of kidney stone disease.
