Examination of the Impact of Incontinence Severity on Health-Seeking Behavior and Quality of Life in Women with Urinary Incontinence
Öz
Objective: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a health problem that is often ignored, and treatment is delayed. It is crucial to raise awareness among women that urinary incontinence is a treatable condition, can occur at any age, and is not a natural consequence of aging. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between incontinence severity, quality of life, and treatment seeking behavior in women with UI.
Methods: This study is a correlational research design. It was conducted with 370 women between January 2023 and July 2023. During data collection, a demographic information form, the Urogenital Distress Inventory, the Incontinence Severity Index, the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptom, and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire were utilized.
Results: It was found that 63% of the women had been experiencing urinary incontinence for more than a year, 75.1% had not consulted a doctor for their urinary incontinence complaints, and 37.3% did not consider their urinary incontinence significant. A significant relationship was identified between the severity of incontinence, doctor consultation rates, and quality of life (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Despite the negative impact on quality of life, three out of four women did not seek medical advice. It was determined that as the severity of incontinence increased, the quality of life was severely negatively affected. Nurses have important responsibilities in diagnosing UI in women in the community, evaluating the risk factors that may cause UI, and raising awareness and consciousness in women about prevention of UI.
Anahtar Kelimeler
urinary incontinence, incontinence severity, quality of life, health-seeking behavior
Etik Beyan
Approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Mardin Artuklu University (Approval No: 78108 and Decision No: 14), and institutional permission was received from Mardin Training and Research Hospital to conduct the research. Also, the study was conducted under the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Teşekkür
Acknowledgments
The authors thank all of the participants in this study.
Authorship Contributions: Concept: GÇB, SK; Design: GÇB, SK; Data Collection or Processing: GÇB, SK; Analysis or Interpretation: GÇB, SK; Literature Search: GÇB, SK; Preparation of the manuscript: GÇB, SK; Critical Reviews: GÇB, SK.
Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.
Financial Disclosure: The authors declared that this study received no financial support.
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