Can effective supervised pelvic floor muscle training be provided by primary care nurses? A randomized controlled...

Area of Science:

• Urogynecology
• Primary Care Nursing
• Pelvic Floor Muscle Training

Background:

• Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction affects many women.
• Access to specialized care for pelvic floor issues can be limited.
• Investigating the role of primary care nurses in delivering PFMT is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if primary care nurses, after training, can effectively provide supervised pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT).
• To compare the effectiveness of PFMT delivered by primary care nurses versus urogynaecology nurse specialists and a control group.
• To assess the impact on pelvic floor muscle strength.

Main Methods:

• A three-group parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in primary care settings.
• Primary care nurses and urogynaecology nurse specialists provided PFMT to women with weak pelvic floor muscles.
• Pelvic floor muscle strength was measured using perineometry as the primary outcome.

Main Results:

• After 3 months, both intervention groups showed significant increases in pelvic floor muscle strength compared to the control group.
• PFMT by primary care nurses resulted in a median strength increase of 3.0 cmH2O (p=0.02) versus controls.
• PFMT by urogynaecology nurse specialists resulted in a median strength increase of 4.3 cmH2O (p<0.01) versus controls, with no significant difference between the two nurse groups.

Conclusions:

• Trained primary care nurses can successfully deliver PFMT, achieving comparable improvements in pelvic floor muscle strength to specialist nurses.
• This approach has the potential to broaden the availability of PFMT services for women.
• Implementing trained primary care nurses in PFMT delivery could aid in preventing pelvic floor dysfunction.