title: Management of urinary incontinence in older women using videoconferencing versus conventional management: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: We compared telemedicine with a conventional outpatient continence service (CS) in community-dwelling older women with urge or stress incontinence. After an initial biofeedback-assisted pelvic floor muscle training session, subjects were randomized to behavioural training for eight weeks via the CS (n = 27) or a telemedicine continence programme (TCP) (n = 31). Participants in both treatment groups experienced significant improvement in their symptoms, namely, a reduction in the number of daily incontinence episodes (P<0.001) and voiding frequency (P<0.001), while the volume of urine at each micturition increased (P<0.005). Pelvic floor muscle strength as measured by the Oxford Score also improved (P<0.005). There were no significant differences in outcomes between the two groups. Thus our findings suggest that videoconferencing is as effective as conventional methods in the management of urinary incontinence.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. huie@ha.org.hk
authors.forename: Elsie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: Patricia S C
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Woo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D017773:Pelvic Floor; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D049269:Videoconferencing