Identifying strategies for managing urinary incontinence with women who have multiple sclerosis

The aim of this pilot project was to identify strategies for managing incontinence with women who have multiple sclerosis (MS). The project used the formation of a group in which eight women with MS and four Continence Nurse Advisers (CNAs) and the first author were brought together. In the course of the research process, the women found a voice on a topic previously thought of as taboo. When they realized that they had suffered alone and in silence they felt empowered to act. In this way, the methodology evolved from group work into a participatory action research process (PAR), as the group initiated action. Participants formed a self-help group, and continued to meet with each other after the research had run its course.