Primary care providers' attitudes, knowledge, and practice patterns regarding pelvic floor disorders.

Area of Science:

• Urogynecology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Pelvic Floor Disorders

Background:

• Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) affect many women, yet understanding barriers to care is crucial.
• Primary care providers (PCPs) are often the first point of contact for patients with PFDs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess PCP familiarity with PFDs, including urinary incontinence (UI), overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome, and pelvic organ prolapse (POP).
• To identify screening and referral patterns for PFDs among PCPs within a large healthcare system.

Main Methods:

• A 14-question online survey was distributed to PCPs in a large healthcare system.
• The survey assessed knowledge of UI, OAB, and POP prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment.
• Descriptive statistics and associations were calculated from the 108 responses.

Main Results:

• PCPs demonstrated good familiarity with UI and OAB prevalence and treatment.
• Referrals for UI/OAB treatment failure were primarily to urology (68.1%).
• Most PCPs did not screen for POP, underestimating its prevalence, and referral was mainly to urogynecology (61.1%). Male providers screened less for POP than females. Many were unfamiliar with urogynecology services.

Conclusions:

• PCPs exhibit greater familiarity with UI and OAB compared to POP.
• Underestimation of POP prevalence and lack of awareness of urogynecologists highlight a gap in care.
• Targeted educational initiatives on PFDs and urogynecology can enhance patient access to specialized care.