The mobile app treatment was effective for women with SUI and yielded clinically relevant improvements. This app may increase access to first-line treatment and adherence to PFMT.

Background Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) affects 10%-39% of women. Its first-line treatment consists of lifestyle interventions and pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), which can be performed supervised or unsupervised. Health apps are increasing in number and can be used to improve adherence to treatments. We developed the Tät app, which provides a 3-month treatment program with a focus on PFMT for women with SUI. The app treatment was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial, which demonstrated efficacy for improving incontinence symptoms and quality of life. In this qualitative interview study, we investigated participant experiences of the app-based treatment. Objective This study aimed to explore women’s experiences of using an app-based treatment program for SUI. Methods This qualitative study is based on telephone interviews with 15 selected women, with a mean age of 47 years, who had used the app in the previous randomized controlled trial. A semistructured interview guide with open-ended questions was used, and the interviews were transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed according to the grounded theory. Results The results were grouped into three categories: “Something new!” “Keeping motivation up!” and “Good enough?” A core category, “Enabling my independence,” was identified. The participants appreciated having a new and modern way to access a treatment program for SUI. The use of new technology seemed to make incontinence treatment feel more prioritized and less embarrassing for the subjects. The closeness to their mobile phone and app features like reminders and visual graphs helped support and motivate the women to carry through the PFMT. The participants felt confident that they could perform the treatment program on their own, even though they expressed some uncertainty about whether they were doing the pelvic floor muscle contractions correctly. They felt that the app-based treatment increased their self-confidence and enabled them to take responsibility for their treatment. Conclusions Use of the app-based treatment program for SUI empowered the women in this study and helped them self-manage their incontinence treatment. They appreciated the app as a new tool for supporting their motivation to carry through a slightly challenging PFMT program. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01848938; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01848938 (Archived by WebCite at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01848938)

Introduction and hypothesisStress urinary incontinence is common among women. First-line treatment includes pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) and lifestyle advice, which can be provided via a mobile app. The efficacy of app-based treatment has been demonstrated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). In this study, we aimed to analyze factors associated with successful treatment.MethodsSecondary analysis of data from the RCT. At baseline and 3-month follow-up, participants (n = 61) answered questions about symptoms, quality of life, background, and PFMT. Success was defined as rating the condition as much or very much better according to the validated Patient Global Impression of Improvement questionnaire. Factors possibly associated with success were analyzed with univariate logistic regression; if p < 0.20, the factor was entered into a multivariate model that was adjusted for age. Variables were then removed stepwise.ResultsAt follow-up, 34 out of 61 (56%) of participants stated that their condition was much or very much better. Three factors were significantly associated with success: higher expectations for treatment (odds ratio [OR] 11.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.02–64.19), weight control (OR 0.44 per kg gained, 95% CI 0.25–0.79), and self-rated improvement of pelvic floor muscle strength (OR 35.54, 95% CI 4.96–254.61). Together, these factors accounted for 61.4% (Nagelkerke R2) of the variability in success.ConclusionThese results indicate that app-based treatment effects are better in women who are interested in and have high expectations of such treatment. Also, the findings underline the importance of strengthening the pelvic floor muscles and offering lifestyle advice.

ObjectivesThe efficacy of app-based treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) has been demonstrated in a randomised controlled trial (RCT). In this study, we investigate the user characteristics and the effectiveness of the same app when freely available, and compare these results with the RCT.DesignProspective cohort study.ParticipantsDuring a 17-month period, 24 602 non-pregnant, non-postpartum women older than 18 years downloaded the app and responded anonymously to a questionnaire. Of these, 2672 (11%) responded to the 3-month follow-up.InterventionThree months’ use of the app Tät, containing information, a pelvic floor muscle training programme and lifestyle advice.Main outcome measuresChange in symptom severity (International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF)) and subjective improvement (Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I)).ResultsOf the respondents, 88% lived in Sweden and 75% (18 384/24 602) were incontinent with a mean age of 45.5 (SD 14.1) years. The UI types, based on symptoms, were SUI (53%), urgency UI (12%), mixed UI (31%) and undefined (4%). The mean ICIQ-UI SF score was 8.2 (SD 4.0) at baseline. The mean ICIQ-UI SF score reduction at follow-up was 1.31 (95% CI: 1.19 to 1.44) with a larger reduction in those with more severe incontinence at baseline (severe/very severe 3.23 (95% CI: 2.85 to 3.61), moderate 1.41 (95% CI: 1.24 to 1.59) and slight 0.24 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.42). When the results were weighted to match the distribution of severity in the RCT, the ICIQ-UI SF score reduction was 2.2 compared with 3.9 in the RCT. Regarding PGI-I, 65% experienced improvement compared with 92% in the RCT.ConclusionsThe app Tät was effective for self-management of UI even in the real world. Although the reduction in incontinence symptoms was less than in the RCT, two-thirds of the users improved. App-based treatment reaches many women without requiring resources from ordinary healthcare services.

Background Quality of life (QoL) in women with urinary incontinence (UI) is mainly affected by UI severity, but it is also affected by the UI subtype, comorbidities, age, and socioeconomic status. e-Health is a new method for providing UI treatment. This study aimed to identify factors with the highest impact on QoL in women that turned to e-health for UI self-management. Methods We analysed data from three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated e-health treatments for UI. We included baseline data for 373 women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and 123 women with urgency/mixed UI (UUI/MUI). All participants were recruited online, with no face-to-face contact. Participants completed two questionnaires: the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF, range: 0–21 points), for assessing UI severity, and the ICIQ Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life (ICIQ-LUTSqol, range: 19–76 points), for assessing condition-specific quality of life (QoL). To identify factors that impacted QoL, we constructed a linear regression model. Results The mean ICIQ-LUTSqol score was 34.9 (SD 7.6). UI severity significantly affected QoL; the adjusted mean ICIQ-LUTSqol score increased by 1.5 points for each 1.0-point increase in the overall ICIQ-UI SF score (p < 0.001). The UI type also significantly affected QoL; the adjusted mean ICIQ-LUTSqol score was 2.5 points higher in women with UUI/MUI compared to those with SUI (p < 0.001). Conclusions We found that women that turned to e-health for UI self-management advice had a reduced QoL, as shown previously among women seeking UI care through conventional avenues, and that the severity of leakage had a greater impact on QoL than the type of UI. Condition-specific factors impacted the QoL slightly less among women that turned to e-health, compared to women that sought help in ordinary care. Thus, e-health might have reached a new group of women in need of UI treatment.

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Background Quality of life (QoL) in women with urinary incontinence (UI) is mainly affected by severity of UI, but also by, for example, UI subtype, comorbidity, age, and socioeconomic status. Using e-health to provide treatment for UI is a new method. In this study we investigate what factors have the highest impact on QoL in women who turned to e-health for self-management of UI. Methods Baseline data from three randomized controlled trials (RCT) for evaluating e-health treatments for UI were used, including 373 women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI), and 123 women with urgency/mixed UI (UUI/MUI). All participants were recruited online, with no face-to-face contact. We used the questionnaires International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) to measure UI severity, and ICIQ Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life (ICIQ-LUTSqol) to measure condition-specific QoL. To evaluate factors impacting on QoL, a linear regression model was used. Results The mean ICIQ-LUTSqol score was 34.9 (SD 7.6). The ICIQ-UI SF score (0-21) affected the ICIQ-LUTSqol (19-76), with an adjusted mean increase of 1.5 for each 1.0 increase in the overall ICIQ-UI SF score (p <0.001). UUI/MUI gave an adjusted mean increase of 2.5 in ICIQ-LUTSqol score compared with SUI (p <0.001). Conclusion As in women seeking other methods of care for UI, a decreased QoL was found in those who turned to e-health for self-management of UI. The impact of condition-specific factors on their QoL was slightly lower than that of women with UI who sought help in ordinary care, suggesting that e-health might reach a new group of women in need of treatment. Severity of the leakage had greater impact on QoL than type of UI.

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