Poster Presentation
Thursday, 20 July 2006
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Thursday, 20 July 2006
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
This presentation is part of : Poster Presentations II
Determining Quality of Life in Community Dwelling Post-Menopausal Women with Urinary Incontinence
Marsha Marecki, EdD, WHNP-C, School of Nursing, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA and Susan Lombardo, PhD, RN, Nursing, University at Buffalo, The State of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Learning Objective #1: Identify two quality of life issues affecting post-menopausal women with urinary incontinence.
Learning Objective #2: Identify two factors that prevent post-menopausal women with urinary incontinence from seeking treatment.
As a chronic condition, urinary incontinence is a costly problem facing women and the nation. The direct cost of urinary incontinence exceeds $10.5 billion annually. Many women try to manage the problem without seeking professional help, adding to the burden by stressing financial resources. A review of the literature has shown that only a small number of incontinent women are known to the health care provider. Much of the research on urinary incontinence and quality of life has been conducted by physicians and surgeons within outpatient clinics using a purposive sample of individuals voluntarily seeking treatment. These methods of data collection do not begin to capture the number of women who are too embarrassed to seek or lack knowledge regarding possible treatment options. Therefore, the specific research aim in this study was: 1. To investigate quality of life in community dwelling post-menopausal women with urinary incontinence. 2. To explore barriers in seeking treatment for urinary incontinence in community dwelling post-menopausal women. A quantitative approach was used to determine quality of life issues with urinary incontinence in seventy-five community dwelling post-menopausal women in rural, urban and suburban settings. A validated Incontinence Quality of Life tool was self-administered covering issues related to avoidance, limiting behaviors, psychosocial impact and social embarrassment. The conclusion of the study will affect clinical practice by promoting community awareness and encouraging health seeking behaviors in post-menopausal women with urinary incontinence.

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