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. 2024 Mar 6;76(1):86-94.
doi: 10.3138/ptc-2021-0089. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Accessibility of Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy for Treating Urinary Incontinence in Older Women in Quebec: An Online Survey

Mélanie Le Berre  1   2 , Chantale Dumoulin  1   2
Affiliations

Accessibility of Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy for Treating Urinary Incontinence in Older Women in Quebec: An Online Survey

Mélanie Le Berre et al. Physiother Can. .

Abstract
in English, French

Purpose: This cross-sectional descriptive study describes available pelvic floor physiotherapy (PT) services for older women with urinary incontinence (UI) in Quebec, Canada, and identifies possible affordability barriers.

Methods: From September to December 2019, Quebec physiotherapists practising pelvic floor PT were invited to complete a survey on their clinical practice and perceptions of the affordability of UI treatment for older women.

Results: Eighty-four of the 225 registered pelvic floor physiotherapists (37.3%) filled out the online survey. They worked a median of 32 hours/week in PT, with 15 of those hours (46.9%) in pelvic floor PT and three hours (9.8%) treating UI in older women. Only 13.0% of them offered group treatment, while 84.3% were interested in it. Most of the physiotherapists (92.2%) had met older women in their practice who had reported financial barriers to completing their pelvic floor PT treatment.

Conclusions: The accessibility of UI care in Quebec appears hampered by the limited availability of pelvic floor PT treatments, mainly in public settings, and potential financial constraints. Providing pelvic floor PT to groups could constitute a promising avenue to tackle both issues. Future studies should look at ways of implementing this option.

Objectif: Cette étude transversale décrit les services de physiothérapie du plancher pelvien (PPP) disponibles aux femmes âgées qui présentent de l’incontinence urinaire (IU) au Québec, Canada et en identifie les possibles barrières financières.

Méthodologie: De septembre à décembre 2019, les physiothérapeutes du Québec pratiquant la PPP ont été invités à compléter un sondage sur leur pratique clinique et leurs perceptions quant à l’accessibilité financière du traitement de l’IU pour les femmes âgées.

Résultats: Quatre-vingt-quatre des 225 physiothérapeutes en PPP du Québec (37,3%) ont complété le sondage. Leur semaine de travail médiane était de 32 heures/semaine en physiothérapie, dont 15 heures (46,9%) en PPP et trois heures (9,8%) pour le traitement de l’IU auprès de femmes âgées. Seulement 13,0% des physiothérapeutes offraient des traitements en groupe, bien que 84,3% avaient de l’intérêt pour ce format. La plupart (92,2%) avaient rencontré des femmes âgées avec des barrières financières limitant la poursuite de leur traitement en PPP.

Conclusions: L’accessibilité des soins de continence au Québec apparaît limitée par la disponibilité restreinte des traitements de PPP, principalement dans le système public, et de possibles contraintes financières. La PPP en groupe pourrait constituer une avenue intéressante. D’autres études devront s’interroger sur l’implantation de telles options.

Keywords: aged; health care surveys; health services accessibility; rehabilitation; urinary incontinence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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