Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices of health care practitioners towards urinary incontinence management

Date
2022-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY: Urinary incontinence affects women of all ages, with a global prevalence of 25-45%, and a prevalence in South Africa of 27.5-35.4%. Prevalence rates are increasing, contributing to an increased economic burden and effecting patients’ health related quality of life. Urinary incontinence can be managed effectively by healthcare practitioners. However, healthcare practitioners’ practice is influenced by their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding urinary incontinence. This thesis aimed to firstly; determine how global literature explored knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices of healthcare practitioners towards urinary incontinence management and secondly, describe the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices towards urinary incontinence management of a sample of healthcare practitioners working at a primary healthcare level in the Western Cape. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted, systematically searching six databases. Studies were included when published after January 2013 in English, investigating healthcare practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs or practices towards urinary incontinence management in women. A cross-sectional study used a self-designed online questionnaire to describe primary healthcare practitioners’ current urinary incontinence management in the Western Cape and explored practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards urinary incontinence management. Knowledge and practice were compared to NICE 2013 guideline recommendations. Stratified random and snowball sampling were used. RESULTS: The scoping review yielded 39 studies, emerging from 16 countries. Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices were explored using quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies. Studies explored management in five types of health care settings and a wide variety of healthcare professionals were included in sample populations. Studies lacked consensus on factors to explore for knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices towards urinary incontinence. Limited published data was found on this topic in Africa. 56 completed questionnaires were obtained in the primary study. Data was predominantly from the public sector (92.9%), with 75% of questionnaires arising from the Cape Town metropole. Healthcare practitioners had an overall knowledge score of 66.7% and practice score of 68.9% compared to NICE 2013 guideline standards. Only 25% of healthcare practitioners screened for urinary incontinence and 14.3% initiated bladder diaries. Further, a lack of knowledge regarding urinary incontinence screening, urinary incontinence risk factors and conducting bladder diaries was observed. The majority of healthcare practitioners believed urinary incontinence was not a normal part of ageing and that failure to adequately manage urinary incontinence would affect a patient’s health-related quality of life. Lastly, half of the sample had an attitude of being uncomfortable with urinary incontinence, although the majority wanted to learn more about urinary incontinence. CONCLUSION: The scoping review summarized factors within the four concepts of knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices to explore when trying to understand urinary incontinence management. This could aid future research to explore this topic in different healthcare settings. Primary data indicated that Western Cape primary healthcare practitioners’ knowledge and practices towards urinary incontinence were not congruent with guidelines. Positive attitudes and beliefs were observed towards urinary incontinence management. Data from this thesis can guide future interventions to improve urinary incontinence service delivery at a primary healthcare level.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Urinêre inkontinensie raak vroue van alle ouderdomme, met n wêreldwye voorkoms van 25-45%, asook ʼn voorkoms van 27.5-35.4% in Suid-Afrika. Voorkomskoerse neem toe, wat bydra tot ʼn groter ekonomiese las, en pasiënte se gesondheidsverwante lewenskwaliteit nadelig beïnvloed. Urinêre inkontinensie kan doeltreffend deur gesondheidsorgpraktisyns bestuur word. Gesondheidsorgpraktisyns se praktyk word egter beïnvloed deur hul kennis, houdings en oortuigings rakende urinêre inkontinensie. Hierdie tesis het die kennis, houdings, oortuigings en praktyke van gesondheidsorgpraktisyns ten opsigte van urinêre inkontinensiebestuur ondersoek, en het twee fokuspunte gehaad. Eerstens, hoe dit deur wêreldliteratuur ondersoek is, en tweedens wat die praktyk in primêre gesondheidsorg in die Wes-Kaap is. METODE: ʼn Literatuurstudie is uitgevoer deur ses databasisse sistamaties te bestudeer. Studies wat van Januarie 2013 in Engels gepubliseer is, en gesondheidsorgpraktisyns se kennis, houdings, oortuigings of praktyke ten opsigte van urinêre inkontinensie bestuur in vroue ondersoek, is ingesluit . Verder is ʼn deursnitstudie met ʼn selfontwerpte aanlynsvraelys gebruik om primêre gesondheidsorgpraktisyns se huidige urinêre inkontinensie bestuur in die Wes-Kaap te beskryf asook praktisyns se kennis, houdings en oortuigings teenoor urinêre inkontinensie bestuur te ondersoek. Kennis en praktyke is vergelyk met die NICE 2013 riglyne. ʼn Gestratifiseerde, ewekansige en sneeubalsteekproefneming metode is gebruik. RESULTATE: Die literatuurstudie het ingesluit 39 studies uit 16 lande. Kennis, houdings, oortuigings en praktyke is ondersoek deur gebruik te maak van kwantitatiewe, kwalitatiewe en gemengde metodestudies. Studies het die bestuur in vyf tipes gesondheidsorginstellings ondersoek en ʼn wye verskeidenheid gesondheidsorgpersoneel is by die steekproefpopulasies ingesluit. Studies het nie konsensus gehad oor faktore om te ondersoek vir kennis, houdings, oortuigings en praktyke teenoor urinêre inkontinensie nie. Beperkte gepubliseerde data is oor hierdie onderwerp in Afrika gevind. 56 voltooide vraelyste is in die primêre studie verkry. Data was oorwegend uit die openbare sektor (92.9%) met 75% van vraelyste uit die Kaapstad-metropool. Gesondheidsorgpraktisyns het ʼn algehele kennistelling van 66.7% en praktyktelling van 68.9% gehad in vergelyking met NICE 2013 riglyne. Slegs 25% van gesondheidsorgpraktisyns het sifting vir urinêre inkontinensie gedoen, en 14.3% het blaadsdagboeke begin. Verder is ʼn gebrek aan kennis met betrekking tot urinêre inkontinensie sifting, urinêre inkontinensie risikofaktore en die instel van blaasdagboeke waargeneem. Die meerderheid gesondheidsorgpraktisyns het geglo dat urinêre inkontinensie nie ʼn normale deel van veroudering is nie en dat die versuim om urinêre inkontinensie voldoende te bestuur ʼn pasient se gesondheidsverwante lewenskwaliteit kan beïnvloed. Laastens het die helfte van die steekproef aangedui dat hulle ongemaklik is met die hanteering van urinêre inkontinensie, hoewel die meerderheid meer oor urinêre inkontinensie wou leer. GEVOLGTREKKING: Die literatuurstudie het faktore opgesom binne die vier konsepte van kennis, houdings, oortuigings en praktyke, vir gebruik indien urinêre inkontinensiebestuur geevaluer moet word. Dit kan moontlik toekomstige navorsing help om hierdie onderwerp in verskillende gesondheidsorginstellings te verken. Primêre data uit hierdie studie het aangedui dat Wes-Kaapse primêre gesondheidsorgpraktisyns se kennis en praktyke ten opsigte van urinêre inkontinensie nie in ooreenstemming was met die riglyne nie. Positiewe houdings en oortuigings is wel waargeneem teenoor urinêre inkontinensiebestuur. Data uit hierdie tesis kan as riglyn dien vir toekomstige aksies om urinêre inkontinensie dienslewering op ʼn primêre gesondheidsorgvlak te verbeter.
Description
Thesis (MScPhysio)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Keywords
Urinary Incontinence -- South Africa -- Western Cape, Bladder control disorder -- South Africa -- Western Cape, Urinary incontinence -- Treatment -- South Africa -- Western Cape, Bladder -- Diseases -- South Africa -- Western Cape, UCTD
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