An Electronic Health Intervention for Dutch Women With Stress Urinary Incontinence: Protocol for a Mixed Methods...

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Digital Health
• Pelvic Floor Health

Background:

• Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) significantly impacts quality of life, yet few women seek treatment.
• Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is effective, but accessibility remains a challenge.
• eHealth interventions offer a potential solution to increase access to SUI treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate barriers and facilitators to adopting an eHealth intervention for SUI in Dutch women.
• To evaluate the effects of the eHealth intervention on SUI symptoms and quality of life.

Main Methods:

• An explanatory sequential mixed methods study involving 800 Dutch women with SUI.
• A 3-month eHealth intervention (Tät-treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence) with pre-post surveys (T0, T1, T2, T3).
• Semistructured interviews with 15-20 participants post-intervention; thematic content analysis for qualitative data.

Main Results:

• Enrollment occurred between July 2018 and December 2019.
• Data analysis was scheduled to commence in March 2020.
• Primary outcomes focus on identifying barriers and facilitators to intervention use.

Conclusions:

• The eHealth intervention shows promise for increasing accessibility of SUI treatment for Dutch women.
• Combining quantitative and qualitative methods provides comprehensive insights into internet-based SUI treatment.
• Understanding barriers and facilitators is crucial for successful implementation in the Dutch healthcare system.