Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Their Own Urinary Incontinence Among Female Clinical Nurses in...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Public Health
• Urology

Background:

• Urinary incontinence (UI) significantly impacts female clinical nurses' quality of life and work performance.
• Despite prevalence, UI remains underreported and undertreated among healthcare professionals.
• The Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) framework is crucial for understanding and addressing UI in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a questionnaire assessing KAP of clinical nurses with UI.
• To investigate the current KAP status of clinical nurses with UI.
• To examine demographic and occupational factors associated with KAP levels in clinical nurses with UI.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, cross-sectional study involving 415 clinical nurses with UI.
• Development and validation of a 32-item Nurses' Self-UI KAP Scale.
• Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analyses were employed.

Main Results:

• The validated scale demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.956).
• Key misconceptions identified include UI as normal aging and immediate urination upon urge.
• Over half concealed their UI, and only 50.6% adhered to management strategies.

Conclusions:

• Clinical nurses with UI possess foundational knowledge and positive attitudes but face challenges in management and condition disclosure.
• Factors such as age, night shift frequency, and parity significantly influence UI-related KAP.
• Targeted educational interventions are recommended to enhance awareness and engagement in UI care.