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

Chinese American women often express dissatisfaction with their health care experiences, which have been linked to negative health outcomes. To our knowledge, their experiences and outcomes when seeking care for overactive bladder (OAB) remain undescribed.

The objective of this study was to investigate the patient experiences of Chinese American women seeking OAB care.

This was a qualitative study that utilized one-on-one semi-structured interviews and employed inductive analysis to identify themes pertinent to OAB care experiences.

The 25 Chinese American women participating in the study had a mean age of 59 (SD 15) years. Most described having poor experiences with OAB care (21/25, 84%) and reported a lack of symptom improvement since seeking care (22/25, 88%). Personal, interpersonal, and social factors negatively affected participants' care experiences and led to persistent ongoing symptoms. Specific challenges included difficulties in accessing care due to language barriers, dismissive attitudes from health care professionals, and a lack of knowledge about OAB treatments within women's social circles. These obstacles were further compounded by systemic drivers of health disparities, including socioeconomic disadvantage, age-related stereotypes, and gender bias. As a result, participants experienced feelings of futility regarding OAB care and acceptance of their symptoms.

This study highlighted personal, interpersonal, and social factors that adversely affected Chinese American women's OAB care experiences and contributed to their persistent OAB symptoms. This study also provided insights into developing interventions to improve the care experience for patients with OAB.