Knowledge and attitude for overactive bladder care among women: development and measurement

Abstract

BackgroundOveractive bladder (OAB) affects millions of women. It is important to assess knowledge and attitude in affected patients. The study objective was to develop surveys to assess OAB knowledge and OAB related attitude, and its association with OAB treatment status.MethodsSystematic literature review and qualitative analysis of patient and provider focus groups helped identify OAB knowledge and attitude survey items. We determined psychometric properties of the two surveys in a cross-sectional sample of 104 women, 27% of whom had received OAB treatment.ResultsThe OAB-knowledge survey consisted of 16 items and 3 condition-related concepts: perception of OAB; cause and information; and signs of OAB. The OAB-attitude survey consisted of 16 items and its concepts were treatment seeking; decision-making and effects. Both surveys demonstrated good construct validity and test-retest reliability ((≥ 0.60). In the cross-sectional validation sample, OAB-knowledge and attitude discriminated between those with different levels of ICIQ-UI scores. We observed some difference in the OAB knowledge, OAB attitude, and severity of symptoms between those treated for OAB vs. treatment naive.ConclusionsOAB knowledge and attitude surveys provide a novel tool to assess OAB domains in women. Though we did not find statistical significance in OAB knowledge and attitude scores across treatment status, they may be potentially modifiable factors that affect OAB treatment uptake and treatment compliance. Refinement of these surveys in diverse sub-populations is necessary. Our study provides effect sizes for OAB knowledge and attitude. These effect sizes can help development of fully powered trials to study the association between OAB knowledge and attitude, type and length of treatment, treatment compliance, and quality of life, leading to interventions for enhancing OAB care.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12894-018-0371-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Comparison of the Effect of Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation (PTNS) with Medical Treatment in Patients with Overactive Bladder

“…However, PTNS showed a better therapeutic response and quality of life among patients with OAB. The total cost of OAB in the United States in 2000 was estimated at more than $ 12 billion [4][5]. These costs have been previously estimated to be comparable to those of osteoporosis and gynecological cancers [4][5].…”

“…Old age, genetics, female gender, pregnancy, childbirth, stress and strenuous physical activity are among the risk factors for it. Limited understanding or appreciation of the morbidity may lead to underreporting of OAB in women when women see OAB as a normal part of aging and develop coping mechanisms [3,5].…”

“…The OAB International Assessment Program (NOBLE) estimated the overall prevalence of an OAB at 16.9% for women and 16% for men [1]. The total cost of OAB in the United States in 2000 was estimated at more than $ 12 billion [4,5]. Findings from a large demographic study in six European countries revealed a prevalence of 16.6% for OAB in people over 40 years of age.…”

A multisite focus group study of US adult women's beliefs and assumptions about bladder health and function

“…Notions of what constitutes normal bladder function among adult women with LUTS have been investigated and reveal a multifaceted depiction of the attributes of a healthy bladder, including the absence of symptoms, a seamless voiding process, voiding regularity, and the ability to delay voiding and exercise bladder control 6 . Studies exploring women's knowledge about overactive bladder (OAB) found that while awareness of the condition, its impact, and treatment options were common, 7 women exhibited limited understanding of underlying physiological mechanisms associated with bladder control and the etiology of OAB 8 …”

“…5 Notions of what constitutes normal bladder function among adult women with LUTS have been investigated and reveal a multifaceted depiction of the attributes of a healthy bladder, including the absence of symptoms, a seamless voiding process, voiding regularity, and the ability to delay voiding and exercise bladder control. 6 Studies exploring women's knowledge about overactive bladder (OAB) found that while awareness of the condition, its impact, and treatment options were common, 7 women exhibited limited understanding of underlying physiological mechanisms associated with bladder control and the etiology of OAB. 8 The aim of this study was to use qualitative methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation to characterize community-based adult women's ideas about how the bladder works, the assumptions guiding their bladder related behaviors, and the beliefs they hold about how their behaviors affect bladder health.…”