Chinese American Women's Overactive Bladder Care Experience: A Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Health Services Research
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Chinese American women report dissatisfaction with healthcare, impacting health outcomes.
• Overactive bladder (OAB) care experiences for this demographic are largely undocumented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the patient experiences of Chinese American women seeking care for overactive bladder (OAB).

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study utilizing one-on-one semi-structured interviews.
• Inductive analysis to identify key themes in OAB care experiences.

Main Results:

• 84% of participants (21/25) reported poor OAB care experiences.
• 88% (22/25) experienced no symptom improvement.
• Barriers included language, dismissive providers, lack of social knowledge, socioeconomic disadvantage, ageism, and gender bias.
• Participants felt futile about care and accepted persistent symptoms.

Conclusions:

• Personal, interpersonal, and social factors negatively impact Chinese American women's OAB care.
• These factors contribute to persistent OAB symptoms and feelings of futility.
• Findings offer insights for developing improved OAB care interventions for this population.