Patient Decision Aids for Stress and Urgency Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Scoping Review

Stress and urgency urinary incontinence (UI) significantly impact the quality of life of women worldwide. The complexity of treatment options calls for robust decision support tools to guide informed, patient-centered care.

This scoping review maps best practices in the development, implementation, use, evaluation, and reported outcomes of patient decision aids (PDAs) for adult women with stress and/or urgency urinary incontinence.

Complementary literature searches (2000-2024) were conducted between March 2023 and May 2024 using scientific databases and gray literature. The first focused on general PDA, the second on PDAs specific for women with stress and/or urgency UI. Selected documents were analyzed using standardized extraction grids; inter-rater agreement ensured validity.

Fourteen literature reviews and six studies specifically about PDAs for women with stress and/or urgency UI were selected. PDAs were reported to improve patient knowledge, reduce decisional conflict, and support shared decision-making. Key facilitators of PDA development and implementation include involving patients and healthcare professionals, adapting tools for diverse needs, clinician training, clear guidelines, regular updates, and multiformat accessibility. Barriers include time constraints, limited access, comprehension difficulties, individual preferences, media influence, and organizational challenges. Addressing these factors through tailored design, improved access, and targeted training is important for successful adoption and implementation of PDAs in this context.

PDAs represent a valuable tool for supporting decision-making for women with stress and/or urgency UI. Future research should address long-term outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and strategies to tailor PDAs to diverse patient needs, ultimately enhancing patient-centered care and adoption in practice.