Mobile app for treatment of stress urinary incontinence: A randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of a mobile app treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women.


METHODS
Randomized controlled trial, conducted 2013-2014 in Sweden. Community-dwelling adult women with ≥1 SUI episode/week recruited through our website and randomized to app treatment (n = 62) or control group (postponed treatment, n = 61). One participant from each group was lost to follow-up. Intervention was the mobile app Tät®with a treatment program focused on pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), and information about SUI and lifestyle factors. Primary outcomes, 3 months after randomization: symptom severity (International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire Urinary Incontinence Short Form [ICIQ-UI SF]); and condition-specific quality of life (ICIQ Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life [ICIQ-LUTSqol]).


RESULTS
One hundred and twenty-three women were included (mean age 44.7), with moderate/severe SUI (97.5%, 120/123), mean ICIQ-UI SF score 11.1 (SD 2.8) and mean ICIQ-LUTSqol score 34.4 (SD 6.1) at baseline. At follow-up, the app group reported improvements in symptom severity (mean ICIQ-UI SF score reduction: 3.9, 95% confidence interval 3.0-4.7) and condition-specific quality of life (mean ICIQ-LUTSqol score reduction: 4.8, 3.4-6.2) and the groups were significantly different (mean ICIQ-UI SF score difference: -3.2, -4.3to -2.1; mean ICIQ-LUTSqol score difference: -4.6, -7.8 to -1.4). In the app group, 98.4% (60/61) performed PFMT at follow-up, and 41.0% (25/61) performed it daily.


CONCLUSIONS
The mobile app treatment was effective for women with SUI and yielded clinically relevant improvements. This app may increase access to first-line treatment and adherence to PFMT.
Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Unit of Research, Education and Development-Östersund, Umeå University, Sweden.
Ina
I
Asklund
Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Unit of Research, Education and Development-Östersund, Umeå University, Sweden.
Emma
E
Nyström
Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Unit of Research, Education and Development-Östersund, Umeå University, Sweden.
Malin
M
Sjöström
Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Sweden.
Göran
G
Umefjord
Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Sweden.
Hans
H
Stenlund
Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Sweden.
Eva
E
Samuelsson
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D063731:Mobile Applications; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
mobile applications; pelvic floor muscle training; randomized controlled trial; self-management; stress urinary incontinence