Effectiveness of a new standardised Urinary Continence Physiotherapy Programme for community-dwelling older women in Hong Kong.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effectiveness of a standardised Urinary Continence Physiotherapy Programme for older Chinese women with stress, urge, or mixed urinary incontinence.


METHODS
A controlled trial.


METHODS
Six elderly community health centres in Hong Kong.


METHODS
A total of 55 women aged over 65 years with mild-to-moderate urinary incontinence.


METHODS
Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=27) where they received eight sessions of Urinary Continence Physiotherapy Programme for 12 weeks. This group received education about urinary incontinence, pelvic floor muscle training with manual palpation and verbal feedback, and behavioural therapy. The control group (n=28) was given advice and an educational pamphlet on urinary incontinence.


RESULTS
There was significant improvement in urinary symptoms in the intervention group, especially in the first 5 weeks. Compared with the control group, participants receiving the intervention showed significant reduction in urinary incontinence episodes per week with a mean difference of -6.4 (95% confidence interval, -8.9 to -3.9; t= -5.3; P<0.001) and significant improvement of quality of life with a mean difference of -3.93 (95% confidence interval, -5.08 to -2.78; t= -6.9; P<0.001) measured by Incontinence Impact Questionnaire Short Form modified Chinese (Taiwan) version. The subjective perception of improvement, measured by an 11-point visual analogue scale, was markedly better in the intervention group (mean, 8.7; standard deviation, 1.0; 95% confidence interval, 8.4-9.1) than in the control group (mean, 1.4; standard deviation, 0.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-1.7; t=33.9; P<0.001). The mean treatment satisfaction in the intervention group was 9.5 (standard deviation, 0.8) as measured by an 11-point visual analogue scale.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that the Urinary Continence Physiotherapy Programme was effective in alleviating urinary symptoms among older Chinese women with mild-to-moderate heterogeneous urinary incontinence.
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Hong Kong; Elderly Health Service, Department of Health, Hong Kong.
B S
BS
Leong
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Hong Kong.
Nicola W
NW
Mok
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D016852:Housing for the Elderly / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000592:standards*; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000628:therapy*; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000628:therapy*; D053202:Urinary Incontinence, Urge / Q000628:therapy*
Aged; Female; Urinary incontinence/therapy