Feasibility of Tele-Prompt: A tablet-based prompted voiding intervention to support informal caregivers of older adults with urinary incontinence

Technological Solutions for Urinary Continence Care Delivery for Older Adults: A Scoping Review

PURPOSE

The aim of this scoping review was to examine available evidence regarding use of technology-based continence care delivery for older adults and to identify gaps in knowledge.

METHODS

Scoping review.

SEARCH STRATEGY

With the help of a medical librarian, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, ProQuest, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and websites were searched. Search terms included technology, sensors, older adults, urinary incontinence, continence care, nursing homes, long-term care, and continence management. All literature elements except for opinion pieces and case reports written in English within the last 15 years were included. Articles not written in the English language were excluded; our search indicated that less than 6% of returned elements were written in other languages.

FINDINGS

After duplications were removed, 2146 potential sources were identified. After exclusions, 19 results were included in the review. Review findings suggest positive effects of technology-based continence care on older adults and those involved in their care such as enhanced delivery of a successful toileting program. Information on potential harms, from either the perspective of care provider or recipient, is limited. It is important that needs of older adults and collaborative efforts are considered in the implementation of technology-based continence care. A paucity of guidelines on the use and adoption of technology-based continence care was found; additional research into uptake and sustainability is needed.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Technological solutions, such as sensors, need to be accurate in the measurement of urine saturation levels and timely in notifying caregivers for effective delivery of continence care. Adverse consequences of incontinence, such as incontinence-associated dermatitis or urinary tract infection, may potentially be reduced or avoided with technology-based continence care delivery.

Mobile Health Interventions to Support Caregivers of Older Adults: An Equity-Focused Systematic Review

Background

Informal caregivers, hereafter referred to as caregivers, provide support to older adults so that they can age safely at home. The decision to become a caregiver can be influenced by individual factors, such as personal choice, or societal factors such as social determinants of health, including household income, employment status, and culture-specific gender roles. Over time, caregivers’ health can be negatively affected by their caregiving roles. Although programs exist to support caregivers, the availability and appropriateness of services do not match caregivers’ expressed needs. Research suggests that supportive interventions offered through mobile health (mHealth) technologies have the potential to increase caregivers’ access to supportive services. However, a knowledge gap remains regarding the extent to which social determinants of health are considered in the design, implementation, and evaluation of mHealth interventions intended to support the caregivers of older adults.

Objective

This study aimed to conduct a systematic review to determine how health equity is considered in the design, implementation, and evaluation of mHealth interventions for caregivers of older adults using Cochrane Equity’s PROGRESS-Plus (place of residence, race, ethnicity, culture, language, occupation, gender, religion, education, social capital, socioeconomic status–plus age, disability, and sexual orientation) framework and synthesize evidence of the impacts of the identified caregiver-focused mHealth interventions.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted using 5 databases. Articles published between January 2010 and June 2021 were included if they evaluated or explored the impact of mHealth interventions on the health and well-being of informal caregivers of older adults. mHealth interventions were defined as supportive services, for example, education, that caregivers of older adults accessed via mobile or wireless devices.

Results

In total, 28 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The interventions evaluated sought to connect caregivers with services, facilitate caregiving, and promote caregivers’ health and well-being. The PROGRESS-Plus framework factors were mainly considered in the results, discussion, and limitations sections of the included studies. Some PROGRESS-Plus factors such as sexual orientation, religion, and occupation, received little to no consideration across any phase of the intervention design, implementation, or evaluation. Overall, the findings of this review suggest that mHealth interventions were positively received by study participants. Such interventions have the potential to reduce caregiver burden and positively affect caregivers’ physical and mental health while supporting them as caregivers. The study findings highlight the importance of making support available to help facilitate caregivers’ use of mHealth interventions, as well as in the use of appropriate language and text.

Conclusions

The successful uptake and spread of mHealth interventions to support caregivers of older adults will depend on creating opportunities for the inclusive involvement of a broad range of stakeholders at all stages of design, implementation, and evaluation.

TECHNOLOGIES FOR HEALTH EDUCATION IN THE CARE OF PATIENTS WITH URINARY INCONTINENCE: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Objective: analyze the technologies available in the literature used for health education in the care of people with urinary incontinence. Methods: integrative review, with database searches: Índice Bibliográfico Espanhol de Ciências da Saúde (IBECS), Base de Dados em Enfermagem (BDENF) via Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online via Pubmed (MEDLINE/PubMed) from the National Library of Medicine, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, Web of Science and Embase. The collection was carried out in February 2021, with the main descriptors: Urinary Incontinence, Educational Technology and Health Education. Results: 91 articles were selected, after analyzing the inclusion and exclusion criteria, there were only 5 productions that were selected, presenting as a strategy the technologies: multimedia course, videos, mobile application and book/booklet. The articles were published between 1997 and 2020. The dimensions considered were: development of health technologies for the treatment of urinary incontinence and knowledge, adherence and the effect of using health technologies for the treatment of urinary incontinence. Conclusion: the technologies used were diversified, with the adherence and the effect being directly proportional, and it depends on how the individual understands urinary incontinence and the impact it brings on each person’s life.

TECNOLOGIAS PARA EDUCAÇÃO EM SAÚDE NO CUIDADO AO PACIENTE COM INCONTINÊNCIA URINÁRIA: REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA

Objetivo:analisar as tecnologias disponíveis na literatura utilizadas para a educação em saúde no cuidado às pessoas com incontinência urinária. Métodos: revisão integrativa, com buscas nas bases: Índice Bibliográfico Espanhol de Ciências da Saúde (IBECS), Base de Dados em Enfermagem (BDENF) via Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online via Pubmed (MEDLINE/PubMed) da National Library of Medicine, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, Web of Science e Embase. A coleta foi realizada em fevereiro de 2021, tendo como principais descritores: Incontinência urinária, Tecnologia educacional e Educação em saúde. Resultados: foram selecionados 91 artigos, após a análise dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão restaram 5 produções que foram selecionadas, apresentando como estratégia as tecnologias: curso de multimídia, vídeos, aplicativo móvel e livro/livreto. Os artigos foram publicados entre 1997 e 2020. As dimensões consideradas foram: desenvolvimento de tecnologias em saúde para o tratamento da incontinência urinária e conhecimento, adesão e efeito do uso de tecnologias em saúde para o tratamento da incontinência urinária. Conclusão: as tecnologias utilizadas foram diversificadas, sendo a adesão e o efeito diretamente proporcionais, e depende de como o indivíduo compreende a incontinência urinária e o impacto que ela traz na vida de cada um.

Burdens and Educational Needs of Informal Caregivers of Older Adults With Urinary Incontinence: An Internet-Based Study

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to describe the burden and educational needs of informal caregivers of care-dependent older adults with urinary incontinence (UI).

DESIGN

A cross-sectional, descriptive survey of informal caregivers recruited through Google Ads was performed.

METHODS

An online survey, including the Overactive Bladder-Family Impact Measure, was used to assess five areas of the experience of the informal caregiver that may be affected by caring for a person with UI and their educational needs.

FINDINGS

Respondents (n = 77) reported a substantial impact of their care recipients' UI on their lives, with concern, travel, and social subscales most affected. However, 42% never sought treatment on behalf of their care recipient. Educational needs included UI treatment strategies and guidance to select appropriate supplies.

CONCLUSIONS

Caregivers underreported their care recipient's UI and need substantially more support from healthcare providers to manage the condition.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Nurses should assess for UI among care-dependent older adults and, if present, provide information and strategies to lessen the impact on caregiver lives.

Telehealth in Urology: A Systematic Review of the Literature. How Much Can Telemedicine Be Useful During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Context

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused increased interest in the application of telehealth to provide care without exposing patients and physicians to the risk of contagion. The urological literature on the topic is sparse.

Objective

To perform a systematic review of the literature and evaluate all the available studies on urological applications of telehealth.

Evidence acquisition

After registration on PROSPERO, we searched PubMed and Scopus databases to collect any kind of studies evaluating any telehealth interventions in any urological conditions. The National Toxicology Program/Office of Health Assessment and Translation Risk of Bias Rating Tool for Human and Animal Studies was used to estimate the risk of bias. A narrative synthesis was performed.

Evidence synthesis

We identified 45 studies (11 concerning prostate cancer [PCa], three hematuria management, six urinary stones, 14 urinary incontinence [UI], five urinary tract infections [UTIs], and six other conditions), including 12 randomized controlled trials. The available literature indicates that telemedicine has been implemented successfully in several common clinical scenarios, including the decision-making process following a diagnosis of nonmetastatic PCa, follow-up care of patients with localized PCa after curative treatments, initial diagnosis of hematuria, management diagnosis and follow-up care of uncomplicated urinary stones and uncomplicated UTIs, and initial evaluation, behavioral therapies, and pelvic floor muscle training in UI patients, as well as follow-up care after surgical treatments of stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse. The methodological quality of most of the reports was good.

Conclusions

Telehealth has been implemented successfully in selected patients with PCa, UI, pelvic organ prolapse, uncomplicated urinary stones, and UTIs. Many urological conditions are suitable for telehealth, but more studies are needed on other highly prevalent urological malignant and benign conditions. Likely, the COVID-19 pandemic will give a significant boost to the use of telemedicine. More robust data on long-term efficacy, safety, and health economics are necessary.

Patient summary

The diffusion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections has recently increased the interest in telehealth, which is the adoption of telecommunication to deliver any health care activity. The available literature indicates that telemedicine has been adopted successfully in selected patients with several common clinical urological conditions, including prostate cancer, uncomplicated urinary stones, uncomplicated urinary infections, urinary incontinence, or pelvic organ prolapse. Likely, the COVID-19 pandemic will give a significant boost to the use of telemedicine, but more robust data on long-term efficacy, safety, and costs are necessary.