Health interventions and satisfaction with services: a comparative study of urinary incontinence sufferers living in two health authorities in England

This comparative study found that significantly more people with severe inc ontinence had contacted a health professional than had those with slight to moderate incontinence (P = 0.00008), There was a significant linear trend towards people with severe incontinence seeing a health professional (P = 0 .00007). The majority of people who were incontinent had not been asked to complete a bladder chart, which is an essential requirement for assessment and diagn osis of the type of incontinence and the subsequent health interventions th at are offered. Significantly more people in the health authority with an established conti nence advisory service had completed a bladder chart, had received physioth erapy and currently undertook pelvic floor muscle exercises than did those in the health authority without a continence service. The majority of sufferers did not use any aids or appliances. Of those who did use incontinence aids, a majority bought their own. There was a signifi cant linear trend for increased pad usage with increasing severity of incon tinence (P = 0.0003). Significantly more people in the health authority with the continence servi ce a ere satisfied with their healthcare and services, while more of those in the health authority without a service were unsatisfied (P = 0.005). Sig nificantly more people in the health authority without a service felt that healthcare and sera ices could be improved (P = 0.00001). Significantly more people with severe incontinence were dissatisfied with s ervices than were those with slight to moderate incontinence (P = 0.01).