What Influences Women to Adhere to Pelvic Floor Exercises after Physiotherapy Treatment? A Qualitative Study for Individualized Pelvic Health Care

Increasing access to pelvic health education for women in underserved communities: a mixed-methods study

It is essential to provide the community with evidenced-based care to optimize healthcare outcomes; more specifically, women in underserved communities with limited access to healthcare services. The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of a single virtual movement-based pelvic health education session on women's pelvic health knowledge, adherence to performing pelvic exercises and confidence in performing the exercises. Forty-two female participants were recruited in Western Arkansas. Participants completed an online pre-session (pre) questionnaire and then received a single virtual education session led by a healthcare provider trained in pelvic health. A post-session (post-1) questionnaire was completed by each participant as well as a 1-month follow-up (post-2) questionnaire. Thirty-five women completed all three questionnaires and pelvic health knowledge, adherence to pelvic floor exercises and confidence in performing pelvic floor exercises were assessed. After the participants completed the post-2 questionnaire, they were invited for a semi-structured interview and 13 women participated. Results of this study suggest pelvic health knowledge increased after a single session of movement-based education, and this was retained 1 month later. Adherence and confidence to perform the exercises did not change; however, learning about pelvic health in a virtual movement-based method was a positive experience and initiated an eagerness to learn more about pelvic health. Pelvic health education can be implemented in a virtual approach to engage women in underserved communities to learn more about pelvic health through a positive experience for an educational baseline to gain healthcare autonomy.

What Is Known from the Existing Literature about Hypopressive Exercise? A PAGER-Compliant Scoping Review

Introduction: Hypopressive exercise (HE) can be viewed as a mind-body activity, characterized by the integration of breath control and stretching postures. Proponents of HE claim that this type of training can offer potential therapeutic or health benefits. To date, there is no existing comprehensive published overview on HE. This scoping review aims to map and summarize the current literature reporting data on HE and identify key knowledge gaps and future research directions. Methods: This review considered studies that report on the immediate, short-, or long-term practice of HE regardless of condition, sex, age, and/or level of practice or physical condition. Any context or setting was considered for inclusion. This review was performed in accordance with the methodological framework proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and by Arksey and O'Malley. MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from inception up to July 2023. Literature was mapped following the Patterns-Advances-Gaps-Evidence for Practice Recommendations framework to identify patterns and inform practice. Results: In total, 87 studies were identified that reported on the following themes: (1) therapeutic application of a short- or long-term HE programs (n = 56); (2) physiologic and physical responsiveness to a short- or long-term HE programs (n = 22); (3) psychologic and behavioral response to a short-term HE program (n = 14); and (4) acute or immediate physiological responses (n = 21). Literature gaps included poor methodological design, incomplete reporting of intervention, lack of male participants, and exploration of muscle groups distinct from the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles. Discussion: There is a need for high-quality randomized controlled trials, adherence to reporting guidelines on exercise, and the use of active control groups to verify clinical significance, the dose response, and health applications of HE.

Pelvic floor muscle training for female urinary incontinence: development of a programme theory from a longitudinal qualitative case study

BACKGROUND

Urinary incontinence (UI) negatively affects the well-being of women globally. Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT) is a complex intervention that aims to decrease UI symptoms. Information about how the multiple complex components involved in PFMT achieve and maintain the desired effect are rarely studied as a whole. The evidence base lacks data about how women experience PFMT over time and in the longer-term. This study explored women's experiences of biofeedback-assisted PFMT and PFMT alone, to identify and understand what influenced self-reported adherence to PFMT, and UI outcomes over time.

METHODS

This rigorous longitudinal qualitative case study, nested within a randomised controlled trial, recruited forty cases (women with stress or mixed UI; 20 in biofeedback-assisted and 20 in PFMT alone group). A case included up to four semi-structured interviews with each woman (prior to starting PFMT, end of treatment [6 months], 12 months, 24 months). Analysis followed case study analytic traditions, resulting in a Programme Theory about PFMT from the perspectives of women with UI.

FINDINGS

The theory demonstrates factors that motivated women to seek UI treatment, and how these influenced long-term adherence. Therapists who delivered PFMT played a crucial role in supporting women to know how to undertake PFMT (to have capability). Some, but not all, women developed self-efficacy for PFMT. Where women did not have PFMT self-efficacy, adherence tended to be poor. When women had PFMT self-efficacy, the conditions to support adherence were present, but contextual factors could still intercede to inhibit adherence. The intercession of contextual factors was individual to a woman and her life, meaning any particular contextual factor had inconsistent influences on PFMT adherence over time for individual women and exerted varying influences across different women.

CONCLUSION

Long term adherence to PFMT is a complex interaction between many different factors. Enquiring about an individual woman's motivation to seek treatment and understanding the contextual factors that affect an individual woman will enable a practitioner to support longer-term adherence.

Maintaining A Long-Term Practice of Daily Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises: What Do Childbearing Women Think?

INTRODUCTION

To be effective, pelvic floor muscle therapy (PFMT) exercises should be intense, be practiced consistently, and include clinical support. Many women do not adhere to a consistent PFMT program, compromising the resolution or prevention of urinary incontinence (UI). This study aimed to answer 2 key questions: What prevents women from performing PFMT long term, and what can health care providers do to support women to perform them?

METHODS

Postpartum women from 4 sites in the United States completed a questionnaire about experiences with PFMT or Kegel exercises during and after pregnancy. This study focused on one of the 7 open-ended questions: What would prevent you from performing Kegels lifelong? Thematic analysis was implemented via an inductive approach using Braun and Clarke's 6-phase process.

RESULTS

Three salient themes emerged that help explain factors that prevent women from adhering to a daily PFMT routine: (1) life gets in the way, (2) inadequate PFMT education and instruction, and (3) disconnect exists about long-term consequences. The sample included 368 participants.

DISCUSSION

The themes were congruent with the limited body of qualitative literature on experience with PFMT exercises. This study was able to identify areas of need in the US maternal health care system to help childbearing people adopt daily PFMT, such as (1) inadequate parental leave and childcare support, (2) no formalized education related to UI and PFMT and a lack of pelvic health promotion, (3) lacking prioritization of long-term PFMT, and (4) the need to dispel the acceptance that UI postbirth is normal. Health care providers should prioritize interactive education, emphasizing how to correctly perform PFMT and the importance and effectiveness of integrating clinical support. To adequately encompass pelvic floor health care and education up to one year postbirth, changes are needed to the US perinatal health care system, providing sufficient insurance reimbursement and parental social support programs.

The accessibility of pelvic health physiotherapy for adolescents with persistent pelvic pain: a qualitative framework analysis

BACKGROUND

Physiotherapy, with a specific focus on pelvic health, is one service used in the multidisciplinary management of adolescent persistent pelvic pain (PPP). However, there has been little investigations into the accessibility of physiotherapy for adolescents with PPP.

OBJECTIVE

This qualitative study aimed to detail the experiences of adolescents with PPP accessing a tertiary hospital physiotherapy service.

METHODS

Two focus groups included six adolescent females diagnosed with PPP that had either a) been referred and attended the physiotherapy clinic (n = 5), or b) been referred to physiotherapy but yet to attend their appointment (n = 1 plus one support person). Focus group transcripts were deductively thematically analyzed according to four domains from the patient-centered healthcare accessibility framework.

RESULTS

The domain of 'Approachability and ability to perceive' was impacted by limited information and poor patient health literacy. 'Acceptability and ability to seek' was hindered by adolescent mental health struggles and failures of previous PPP management. 'Availability and accommodation, and ability to reach' was influenced by lengthy referral processes, and reliance on familial support for transport. 'Acceptability and ability to engage' was facilitated by engaging clinicians and group environments, however, adolescents became dependent on physiotherapy for pain management.

CONCLUSION

Physical, social, and environmental factors influence the accessibility of physiotherapy for adolescents with PPP. Healthcare services should consider the specific needs of adolescents with PPP for optimizing accessibility.

Physiotherapy practice in women's health: awareness and attitudes of obstetricians and gynecologists in Ghana

BACKGROUND

Physiotherapy is relatively well integrated into women's health in many high-income countries (HICs) as compared to low- and middle- countries (LMICs) like Ghana. Suboptimal integration of physiotherapy in modern obstetrics and gynecology especially in low resource settings is partly due to issues related to the awareness and attitudes of referring physicians. This study assessed the awareness and attitude levels towards physiotherapy in women's health among obstetricians/gynecologists and factors associated with its utilization in Ghana.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among obstetricians/gynecologists working at a tertiary hospital in Ghana using an "Awareness and Attitude Questionnaire" adapted from a standardized questionnaire. Chi-square test or Fisher exact test was performed and logistic regression was used to assess the association between doctors' awareness level of physiotherapy's role in women's health and years of clinical practice.

RESULTS

Sixty-one (61) respondents comprising 7 consultants, 20 senior residents and 34 junior residents, with age median age of 35 years (range: 29-65 years) were recruited. There were more males than females (82% versus 18%) with a mean (SD) duration of practice of (9.41 ± 4.71) years. The participants reported a considerable awareness of physiotherapists' role in obstetrics (between 72.1% for intrapartum to 91.8% for postnatal) but wide variation in gynecology (from 19.7% in PID to 95. 1% in uterine prolapse). Consultants were more (71.4%) aware of the role of physiotherapy in antenatal care and gynecology while senior residents had more awareness in intrapartum and postnatal care. Junior residents generally showed lowest awareness levels. Duration of clinical practice (≥ 10years) was not significantly associated with doctors' awareness regarding the importance of physiotherapy in childbirth. There were mixed findings concerning doctors' attitudes toward physiotherapy: (1) 41% indicated that physiotherapists have been effective in their inter-professional relationship; (2) none of the doctors strongly agreed that physiotherapy may not contribute significantly to the complete well-being of gynecological patients. The main factors influencing utilization of physiotherapy were the perceived notion of non-availability of physiotherapists to cover various wards and physiotherapists not attending ward rounds with doctors to facilitate more education on the scope of physiotherapy practice.

CONCLUSION

Although obstetricians/gynecologists showed appreciable awareness and attitudes towards physiotherapy, there remains a considerable gap in provider education to ensure optimal utilization of physiotherapy in contemporary obstetrics and gynecology. Further research is recommended to assess implementation challenges associated with regular utilization of physiotherapy services in women's health in the hospital.

Sitting on the fence: A qualitative study of perceptions regarding pelvic floor muscle training among pregnant women with urinary incontinence

Objectives

To explore the perceptions of pregnant women with urinary incontinence toward pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT).

Methods

Semi-structured personal interviews were used to collect data. Pregnant women with urinary incontinence and no contraindications to PFMT were recruited for semi-structured interviews in the Outpatient Department of Obstetrics in a Class A tertiary hospital in Shenzhen from October to November 2021. Purposive sampling was performed, and Braun & Clarke thematic analysis was used for the data analysis.

Results

Sixteen pregnant women with urinary incontinence and a mean age of (30.81 ± 3.66) years participated in the interview. "Sitting on the fence" was the predominant theme acquired after analysis. Pregnant women had contradictory attitudes toward PFMT. A total of four themes and nine sub-themes have been extracted: "It is normal and does not really matter" (normalized urinary incontinence, insufficient attention to PFMT); "There is nothing I can do" (insufficient subjective motivations, limitation of objective conditions, lack of social support); "We have to take care of ourselves" (the increasing self-care awareness, emerging autonomous motivation to practice PFMT); "Training should be guaranteed" (requiring the guidance, suggestions, and surveillance of healthcare professionals; requiring the perceptive benefits).

Conclusions

This study reveals varying attitudes towards PFMT among pregnant women with urinary incontinence. To better promote pregnant women's engagement in PFMT, it is necessary to provide professional guidance, increase self-care awareness, improve social support, and emphasize the benefits of PFMT.

Adherence to Overactive Bladder Syndrome Treatments Recent Developments and Future Perspectives

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common and distressing condition which is known to have a significant effect on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Whilst all patients complaining of overactive bladder symptoms will, in theory, initially benefit from conservative measures, many will require pharmacological therapy. Antimuscarinics currently remain the most commonly used drugs to treat OAB although compliance and persistence can be poor due to concerns regarding adverse events and lack of efficacy. This review will explore the common management strategies for OAB with a particular focus on patient adherence to therapy including compliance and persistence. The role of antimuscarinics and the B3-agonist, mirabegron, will be considered along with barriers to their efficacy and adoption. For those patients in whom conservative and pharmacological treatment proves ineffective or is unsuitable, the management of refractory OAB will also be considered. In addition, the role of current and future developments will be examined.

Barriers and enablers of pelvic floor rehabilitation behaviours in pregnant women with stress urinary incontinence: a qualitative analysis using the theoretical domains framework

BACKGROUND

Stress urinary incontinence during pregnancy is closely related to the occurrence of postpartum and long-term urinary incontinence. Early pelvic floor management is of great significance in promoting the recovery of pelvic floor tissues in pregnant women. However, effective management of urinary incontinence is far from achievable owing to the low adherence of pregnant women in partaking in pelvic floor rehabilitation. As a comprehensive framework for behavioural theory, the Theoretical Domain Framework allows for comprehensive identification of behavioural determinants. Using Theoretical Domain Framework, this study aimed to identify barriers and enablers of pelvic floor rehabilitation behaviours in pregnant women with stress urinary incontinence.

METHODS

A descriptive, qualitative design was used in this study. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with pregnant women with stress urinary incontinence based on the Theoretical Domain Framework. The data were analysed using a combination of inductive and deductive methods.

RESULTS

Twenty pregnant women with stress urinary incontinence were interviewed. Seven themes were summarised and used to explain the pelvic floor rehabilitation behaviours of pregnant women with stress urinary incontinence. The seven themes were (1) individual knowledge and experience of pelvic floor management, (2) judgments about expected outcomes, (3) interactions of interpersonal situations, (4) environment, resources, and decision-making processes, (5) personal goal-setting and efforts towards behaviour change, (6) emotional influences on decision-making, and (7) personal characteristics. Besides the "Optimism" domain, 13 of the 14 Theoretical Domains Framework domains were found to influence pregnant patients' pelvic floor rehabilitation behaviours after deductive mapping of themes to the Theoretical Domains Framework. In addition, the inductive analysis generated a theme of personal characteristics that did not map to any of the Theoretical Domains Framework domains.

CONCLUSIONS

The pelvic floor rehabilitation behaviours of pregnant women with stress urinary incontinence are complex and are affected by many factors. The findings confirm the need for multiple interventions to support pelvic floor management in pregnant women with stress urinary incontinence, focusing on enhancing knowledge and skills in pelvic floor care and using appropriate behaviour change techniques (such as prompts) to provide a supportive environment.

Pelvic floor muscle training as a method of prevention and treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction and genital prolapse

Relevance. Pelvic floor dysfunction and pelvic organ prolapse are a significant problem today - even the initial manifestations of pelvic floor dysfunction can lead to reduced quality of sexual life, decreased activity, and then to social isolation and decreased self-esteem of women. Due to the growth of general life expectancy, the incidence rate is also increasing. One of the most popular conservative treatments for pelvic floor dysfunction is pelvic floor muscle training. The aim of this literature review is to consolidate the scattered information about the effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle training as a prevention and treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction. Materials and Methods. In writing the review, publications from the PubMed and Google Scholar databases from January 2019 were analyzed and systematized. Results and Discussion. Pelvic floor muscle training is one of the most prospective methods of non-invasive treatment for pelvic organ prolapse. It can take many forms and is represented by a range of different techniques: from the simple short-term muscle contraction and Kegel exercises to more complex and high-tech methods using electromyostimulation and biofeedback. However, timing of introduction and method for pelvic floor muscle training must be carefully considered in order to gain the maximum result. Conclusion. Based on the study, it can be concluded that the introduction of pelvic floor muscle training as part of prenatal care and in the antenatal period is the most appropriate way to prevent pelvic floor failure and genital prolapse. Further research is required to confirm the hypothesis.

Barriers and facilitators to overactive bladder therapy adherence

AIMS

To provide an overview of the barriers and facilitators to overactive bladder (OAB) therapy initiation and adherence.

METHODS

A PubMed and Embase literature search was conducted to identify barriers to OAB therapy adherence.

RESULTS

OAB therapy adherence is associated with improvements in urinary symptoms, and quality of life with reductions in annual costs for OAB-related expenditures. However, adherence rates to behavioral therapies are as low as 32% at 1 year, only 15%-40% of treated patients remain on oral medications at 1 year due to several factors (e.g., inadequate efficacy, tolerability, and cost), and 5%-10% of OAB patients progress to advanced therapies. While some common barriers to therapy adherence are often fixed (e.g., costs, lack of efficacy, time, side effects, treatment fatigue), many are modifiable (e.g., lack of knowledge, poor relationships, negative experiences, poor communication with providers). Patient-centered care may help address some modifiable barriers. Emerging data demonstrate that patient-centered care in the form of treatment navigators improves OAB therapy adherence and progression to advanced therapies in the appropriate patient.

CONCLUSIONS

There are numerous modifiable barriers to OAB therapy adherence. A patient-centered lens is needed to elicit patient goals, establish realistic treatment expectations, and tailor therapy to improve therapy adherence, optimize outcomes, and reduce healthcare expenditures. Further research is needed to develop and study low-cost, scalable solutions.

Personalized Nursing and Health Care: Advancing Positive Patient Outcomes in Complex and Multilevel Care Environments

This Special Issue of the Journal of Personalised Medicine invited manuscripts that further establish the current state of science relating to personalized nursing and health care [...].

Online Information on Painful Sexual Dysfunction in Women: Quality Analysis of Websites in SPANISH about Dyspareunia, Vaginismus and Vulvodynia

The objective of this study was to evaluate the content, quality, and readability of websites containing information on dyspareunia, vaginismus, and vulvodynia in Spanish. Web pages were retrieved entering the terms "dyspareunia", "vaginismus", and "vulvodynia" in Google, Yahoo!, and Bing search engines. Two researchers employed the DISCERN and Bermúdez-Tamayo questionnaires to analyze the content and quality of the websites, and the INFLESZ scale to evaluate their readability. IBM SPSS® version 25 statistical software was employed for data analysis. The internet search yielded 262 websites, 91 of which were included after applying the selection criteria. Websites with information on dyspareunia obtained median scores of 24 (30-21) in the DISCERN, 38 (41.0-35.5) in the Bermúdez-Tamayo, and 55.3 (57.2-50.9) in the INFLESZ tools. The results for websites on vaginismus revealed median scores of 23.5 (30-20) in the DISCERN, 37 (42-35) in the Bermúdez-Tamayo, and 52.9 (55.6-46.4) in the INFLESZ. Finally, the median scores for vulvodynia sites was 25.5 (30-20) in the DISCERN, 38 (43-33.7) in the Bermúdez-Tamayo, and 54.2 (57.3-47.2) in the INFLESZ. These outcomes indicate that the quality of information in these websites is very low, while the overall quality of the web pages is moderate. Sites on vaginismus and vulvodynia were "somewhat difficult" to read, while readability was "normal" for websites on dyspareunia. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the shortcomings of these websites and address them through therapeutic education with resources containing updated, quality information. This raises the need for health professionals to generate these resources themselves or for experts and/or scientific societies in the field to check the quality and timeliness of the contents, regardless of whether or not the websites are endorsed with quality seals.