Experiencing and Managing Urinary Incontinence: A Qualitative Study

Urinary incontinence is a complex problem from which millions of people are affected worldwide. How the affected persons experience and organize their day-to-day lives has hardly been studied. This was the motive for a 2½-year study in the German-speaking region. Thirty-two problem-centered interviews were conducted with 22 women and 10 men, which were then analyzed using the grounded theory method, after Strauss and Corbin. The experience of urinary incontinence is dependent on the cause of the incontinence and on whether the episode of incontinence took place in private or in public. Incontinence itself influences social, cultural, and sportive activities and partner relationships. The results show that persons with incontinence use complex strategies to regain control. These include (a) being prepared for the next urge to urinate or the next episode of incontinence, (b) searching for possible therapies, and (c) forming a circle of trust.

Types and Factor Structure of Barriers to Utilization of Health Services among Aging South Asians in Calgary, Canada

Souvent, les personnes aînés de groupes ethniques minoritaires éprouvent obstacles différents à l’access aux services de santé. Généralement, les études ont porté sur les groupes combinés d’immigrants âgés ou sur minorités ethno-culturels importantes, tels que les Chinois au Canada ou les Afro-américains et Latino-Américains aux États-Unis. Cette étude visait à examiner les types des facteurs qui constituent des obstacles à l’utilization des services de santé rencontrés à Calgary, Alberta, Canada, par les immigrés vieillissants d’Asie du Sud. Un sondage téléphonique a été utilisé pour rassembler des données d’un échantillon aléatoire d’immigrants d’Asie du Sud âgés de 55 ans et plus. L’analyse des éléments principaux a révélé quatre types principaux d’obstacles: l’incompatibilité culturelle; les attitudes personnelles; les problèmes administratifs dans la livraison et les défis posés par les circonstances.

Primary prevention research on incontinence in older adults

Primary prevention research on urinary incontinence in older adults is in its nascent phase. Most clinical research has focused on secondary or tertiary prevention, that is, testing interventions to cure, improve, or manage incontinence. When urinary incontinence is recognized as a public health issue, resources become available to reduce the risk of incontinence and prevent its occurrence. Methodological issues that face nurse researchers desiring to conduct primary prevention research include inadequate theory and outcome development, need for gender and culturally sensitive measurement instruments, and sampling and design issues. Rather than viewing primary prevention as a futile endeavor, nurse researchers must combine the roles of researcher and advocate, articulating the vision for primary prevention, and developing sound clinical studies to prevent urinary incontinence in the older adult population.

Outcomes of a small group educational intervention for urinary incontinence: episodes of incontinence and other urinary symptoms

OBJECTIVES

This community-based intervention to reduce urinary incontinence (UI) in elderly women used a small group educational approach. This article reports on change in episodes of incontinence and other urinary symptoms.

METHODS

Participants were randomly assigned to intervention or wait control condition. This article is restricted to 49 intervention and 59 control participants with acceptable diaries.

RESULTS

There was a significant treatment effect for a number of incontinent episodes. In the intervention group, 61% had a 50% or greater reduction in episodes, with more than one third having 100% reduction; 38% of the control group had a reduction of 50% or greater. One year postprogram, 75% of treated women reported subjective improvement. There was a reduction in frequency of daily, but not nocturnal, micturition.

DISCUSSION

This community-based intervention is an encouraging option for behavioral treatment of UI. Public health models may be particularly appropriate with moderate levels of urinary incontinence.