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Use of a Mobile Application for Pelvic Floor Muscle Training in Women With Urinary Incontinence: a Randomized Control Trial

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Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis

This study was aimed at evaluating the impact of a mobile app-guided pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) program on urinary symptoms and quality of life in women suffering from urinary incontinence.

Methods

The study included women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI), who underwent a structured interview and completed validated questionnaires, including the Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis (QUID), the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire – Short Form (ICIQ-SF), and the Incontinence Quality of Life Questionnaire (I-QOL). These women were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the app group, which received a visual depiction on the expected contraction pattern through a mobile app to support their PFMT exercises, and the control (paper) group. Both groups were instructed to perform PFMT exercises twice daily for 30 days. Data were collected at baseline and at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after completing the exercises.

Results

A total of 154 women participated, with 76 in the app group and 78 in the paper group. The mean ages were 61 (± 6.1) and 60.6 (± 6.8) in the app and paper groups respectively (p = 0.644). Both groups showed significant improvements in QUID SUI scores (p < 0.001), overactive bladder (OAB; p < 0.001), ICIQ-SF scores (p < 0.001), and quality-of-life scores (p < 0.001). When comparing the two groups, the app group exhibited a more substantial reduction in OAB (p = 0.017) as assessed by QUID and total (p = 0.042), psychosocial (p = 0.032) and social embarrassment (p = 0.006) I-QOL scores.

Conclusions

The study findings suggest that PFMT guided by a mobile app with visual guidance leads to greater improvements in storage symptoms and quality of life than the home-based PFMT guidance.

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Data Availability

The data from this study are available in the data repository of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas.

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Funding

We are grateful to Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento Pessoal de Nível Superior—CAPES for the support of this study with a Post-Graduate Scholarship to one of the authors (CCA), code 001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Rua Alexander Fleming, 101, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP, 13083-881, Brazil

    Camila C. de Araujo, Luiz G. O. Brito, Andrea A. Marques & Cássia R. T. Juliato

Authors
  1. Camila C. de Araujo
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  2. Luiz G. O. Brito
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  3. Andrea A. Marques
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  4. Cássia R. T. Juliato
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Contributions

C.C. de Araujo: project development, data collection, manuscript writing; L.G.O. Brito: data analysis, manuscript writing; A.A. Marques: project development, manuscript writing; C.R.T. Juliato: project development, data analysis, manuscript writing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cássia R. T. Juliato.

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de Araujo, C.C., Brito, L.G.O., Marques, A.A. et al. Use of a Mobile Application for Pelvic Floor Muscle Training in Women With Urinary Incontinence: a Randomized Control Trial. Int Urogynecol J 35, 589–598 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-023-05714-y

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