Pelvic floor disorders and multiple sclerosis: are patients satisfied with their care?

Despite recent efforts to educate multiple sclerosis (MS) health-care providers about the importance of pelvic floor disorders (urinary, bowel, and sexual dysfunction), no data are currently available to assess outcomes of these efforts in terms of patient satisfaction.

As part of the fall 2010 North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis survey, we conducted a prospective, survey-based cohort study (N = 14,268) to evaluate patient satisfaction with the current evaluation and treatment of pelvic floor disorders. Patients were queried about 1) bother from bladder, bowel, or sexual symptoms; 2) whether they had been evaluated by a health-care provider for pelvic floor issues in the last 12 months; and 3) satisfaction with the evaluation and treatment they received, on a 5-point Likert scale. Patients were also asked whether these treatments had affected their quality of life (7-point Likert scale).

A total of 9397 responses were received (response rate of 65.9%); respondents were primarily white (89%) and female (77.4%). Moderate-to-severe pelvic floor symptoms were reported by one-third of patients (bladder, 41%; bowel, 30%; sexual, 42%). Most respondents had been asked about bladder (61%) or bowel (50%) issues by their health-care providers, but only 20% had been queried about sexual dysfunction. Most respondents were moderately to very satisfied with the management of their bladder and bowel disorders but significantly less satisfied with that of sexual dysfunction.

While MS patients are generally satisfied with current management of bladder and bowel dysfunction, improvement is needed in that of sexual dysfunction.