Interventions for Urinary Incontinence in WomenSurvey and effects on population and patient level

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2011 issn 1652-4063 isbn 978-91-7668-778-9

Karin Franzén MD, specialist in Obstetrics and Gynae-cology. She works at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Örebro University Hospital and has since 2006 been enrolled as a doctoral student at the School of Health and Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Sweden. Urinary Incontinence is a common health problem that can cause both severe medical and social problems, resul-ting in negative impact on different aspects of Quality of Life. In 2000, the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment (SBU) published a systematic review, “Treatment of Urinary In-continence”. The importance of finding methods for improving the general knowledge on UI in society and to encourage self-management when suitable, together with the need to enhance the general knowledge on UI in relation to different psychosocial aspects, was pointed out.

The need for pragmatic intervention studies in clinical practice, and the need for instruments to assess Quality of Life as part of the evaluation of treatment effectiveness were other important areas where gaps in current knowledge were identified.

These clinical issues have been researched in this thesis. New knowledge and answers have been obtained but many questions remain in the field of Urinary Incontinence.