Barriers & Facilitators to Help-Seeking Behaviour for Abnormal Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Men: Systematic Review

Men face numerous challenges when deciding whether to engage in help-seeking for abnormal lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), with help-seeking behaviour a multi-step process.

This systematic review explores the barriers and facilitators to help-seeking behaviour in adult men for abnormal LUTS.

Eight databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EBSCOhost, SCOPUS, OVID, ProQuest and PsychINFO) were searched between January 2023 and March 2024. Studies were required to meet the inclusion criteria informed by PRISMA guidelines. Qualitative and mixed-method studies were included in the systematic review.

(N) = 17 full-text articles were included in the review, totalling (n) = 704 participants. The systematic review uncovered four key themes: men have poor relationships with the healthcare system, some minority groups have dysfunctional cultural beliefs and attitudes towards help-seeking behaviour, traditional gender views and perceptions of masculinity discourage help-seeking behaviour and men have intrapersonal and external barriers.

Men face considerable challenges when deciding to engage in help-seeking for abnormal LUTS, with men generally lacking awareness and knowledge of what they should do when experiencing symptoms. This is more profound in men from minority groups. This review may have had a language bias as non-English studies were excluded. This review may be essential to inform the development of interventions to facilitate help-seeking behaviour for abnormal LUTS in men, specifically men from minority populations.