The relation between usage of an eHealth intervention for stress urinary incontinence and treatment outcomes: an observational study

• Published in: BMC family practice 2024-03, Vol.25 (1), p.89-89, Article 89
• Main Authors: Firet, Lotte, Teunissen, Theodora Alberta Maria, Kool, Rudolf Bertijn, Akkermans, Reinier Peter, Lagro-Janssen, Antoinette Leonarda Maria, van der Vaart, Huub, Assendelft, Willem Jan Jozef
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Clinical outcomes; eHealth; Exercise Therapy; Female; Humans; Intervention; Log data; Middle Aged; Observational studies; Pelvic Floor; Pelvic floor muscle training; Pelvis; Primary care; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Success; Telemedicine; Urinary incontinence; Urinary Incontinence, Stress - diagnosis; Urinary Incontinence, Stress - therapy; Women
• ISSN: 2731-4553; 2731-4553; 1471-2296
• DOI: 10.1186/s12875-024-02325-4

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), though a prevalent condition among women, is undertreated in primary care. EHealth with pelvic floor muscle training is an evidence-based alternative to care-as-usual. It is unknown, however, how eHealth usage is related to treatment outcome, and this knowledge is required for general practitioners to implement eHealth in their practice. This study examines the relation between usage of eHealth for SUI and treatment outcomes by examining log data. Baseline factors were also explored for associations with treatment success. In this pre-post study, women with SUI participated in "Baasoverjeblaas.nl", a web-based intervention translated from the Swedish internet intervention "Tät®-treatment of stress urinary incontinence". Usage was based on log data and divided into three user groups (low, intermediate and high). Online questionnaires were sent before, after treatment and at six-months follow-up. The relation between usage and the primary outcome - treatment success (PGI-) - was studied with a binomial logistic regression analysis. Changes in the secondary outcomes - symptom severity (ICIQ-UI SF) and quality of life (ICIQ-LUTSqol) - were studied per user group with linear mixed model analysis. Included were 515 users with a mean age of 50.5 years (12.0 SD). The majority were low users (n = 295, 57.3%). Treatment success (PGI-I) was reached by one in four women and was more likely in high and intermediate users than in low users (OR 13.2, 95% CI 6.1-28.5, p