Integrated continence services and the female Bangladeshi population

Continence services should be developed to cater for the needs of the entire population, including those of ethnic minority groups. This study undertook focus groups and meetings with the local Bangladeshi community and with local GPs to assess the needs for continence care provision and to assess current understanding of the problem in this community. The aim was to identify appropriate models for provision of care.

Questionnaires were devised which related to access to services for bowel and bladder problems for women and GPs. Focus groups which people's views and suggestions on improving service accessibility were ascertained.

A 50% return was achieved for the GP questionnaire. GPs did not routinely enquire about bladder and bowel function and did not feel that Bangladeshi women needed any different service to that in the white population. The majority of the women in the focus groups considered bladder weakness as a loss of self-control, and emphasized the major impact on everyday life. There was little awareness of available services.

Despite the cultural differences this study found that women tended to accept their bladder problem; did not consider it important enough to discuss with their doctor (who may also not take the problem seriously) and considered bladder problems as a normal part of womanhood or ageing.