Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jul 23;18(15):7800.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18157800.

The WOMEN-UP Solution, a Patient-Centered Innovative e-Health Tool for Pelvic Floor Muscle Training: Qualitative and Usability Study during Early-Stage Development

Sònia Anglès-Acedo  1 , Lorena López-Frías  1 , Vicenç Soler  2 , Joan Francesc Alonso  3 , Arnoud W Kastelein  4 , Boris C de Graaf  4 , Eva V Vodegel  4 , Jaana Tervo  5 , Adriana Baban  6 , Montserrat Espuña-Pons  1 , On Behalf Of The Women-Up Consortium
Affiliations

The WOMEN-UP Solution, a Patient-Centered Innovative e-Health Tool for Pelvic Floor Muscle Training: Qualitative and Usability Study during Early-Stage Development

Sònia Anglès-Acedo et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

e-Health may enhance self-management of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI). It is crucial to involve patients in planning, developing and monitoring the optimal e-Health solution. This research aims to describe patient-centered innovation in an early developmental stage of the WOMEN-UP solution. We conducted a qualitative study through a self-developed questionnaire in 22 women with SUI, to define system requirements from a patient's perspective. The first prototype of the WOMEN-UP solution was developed. It was tested by 9 patients in a usability study (think-aloud protocol and retrospective interviews). Patient preferences regarding the possible use of an e-Health solution with serious games for PFMT were: (1) to receive feedback about PFMT; (2) convenient home-use; (3) increasing motivation; (4) available in medical centers. Identified usability aids (31) reassured our design-development plan, which considered the biofeedback and serious games as key factors. Patient's perspective detected some unexpected issues related to the calibration and serious games, involving a change in the ongoing development to get an improved WOMEN-UP solution; the value of patient-centered innovation during the development of an e-Health solution for PFMT (WOMEN-UP solution). To identify patients' unmet needs, we proposed a longitudinal approach for the future eHealth-related patient-centered innovations.

Keywords: biofeedback; eHealth; patient-centered innovation; pelvic floor muscle training; qualitative study; serious games; urinary incontinence; usability study.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
First prototype of the WOMEN-UP solution. (a) Elements of the WOMEN-UP intervention, (b) Vaginal biofeedback device (pelvic floor muscles), (c) Abdominal biofeedback device (rectus abdominis muscle).
Figure 1
Figure 1
First prototype of the WOMEN-UP solution. (a) Elements of the WOMEN-UP intervention, (b) Vaginal biofeedback device (pelvic floor muscles), (c) Abdominal biofeedback device (rectus abdominis muscle).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Colored blocks represent the usability issues with corresponding severity score. The order shows the value of each study phase.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Milsom I., Altman D., Cartwrigth R., Lapitan M.C., Nelson R., Sjöström S., Tikkinen K.a.O. Epidemiology of urinary incontinence (UI) and other lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and anal (AI)incontinence. In: Abrams P., Cardozo L., Wagg A., Wein A., editors. International Consultation on Incontinence. 6th ed. Health Publications Ltd.; London, UK: 2017. pp. 1–142.
    1. Dumoulin C. Adult Conservative Management. Committee 12. In: Abrams P., Cardozo L., Wagg A., Wein A., editors. International Consultation on Incontinence. 6th ed. Health Publications Ltd.; London, UK: 2017. pp. 1443–1628.
    1. Novara G., Checcucci E., Crestani A., Abrate A., Esperto F., Pavan N., De Nunzio C., Galfano A., Giannarini G., Gregori A., et al. Telehealth in Urology: A Systematic Review of the Literature. How Much Can Telemedicine Be Useful during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic? Eur. Urol. 2020;78:786–811. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2020.06.025. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Grimes C.L., Balk E.M., Crisp C.C., Antosh D.D., Murphy M., Halder G.E., Jeppson P.C., Lebrun E.E.W., Raman S., Kim-Fine S., et al. A guide for urogynecologic patient care utilizing telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic: Review of existing evidence. Int. Urogynecol. J. 2020;31:1063–1089. doi: 10.1007/s00192-020-04314-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dixon-Woods M., Amalberti R., Goodman S., Bergman B., Glasziou P. Problems and promises of innovation: Why healthcare needs to rethink its love/hate relationship with the new. BMJ Qual. Saf. 2011;20:i47–i51. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs.2010.046227. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types