Patients’ experiences with self-management of conservative interventions for fecal incontinence

Aims: To describe patients’ experience self-managing conservative interventions for fecal incontinence (FI) during usual FI care. Methods: Community-living adults with FI recruited from urogynecology and continence clinics participated in a pilot study developing a mobile application for FI self-man...

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Main Authors: Donna Z. Bliss, Marshall K. Muehlbauer, Dominique Jamison, Alexandra Weinberger, Molly Conway, Casey Kirchschlager, Olga V. Gurvich, Jeannine McCormick, Ryanne Johnson, Mary Benbenek, Emma Jennings, Joseph A. Konstan, Holly E. Richter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Continence
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772973725005326
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author Donna Z. Bliss
Marshall K. Muehlbauer
Dominique Jamison
Alexandra Weinberger
Molly Conway
Casey Kirchschlager
Olga V. Gurvich
Jeannine McCormick
Ryanne Johnson
Mary Benbenek
Emma Jennings
Joseph A. Konstan
Holly E. Richter
author_facet Donna Z. Bliss
Marshall K. Muehlbauer
Dominique Jamison
Alexandra Weinberger
Molly Conway
Casey Kirchschlager
Olga V. Gurvich
Jeannine McCormick
Ryanne Johnson
Mary Benbenek
Emma Jennings
Joseph A. Konstan
Holly E. Richter
author_sort Donna Z. Bliss
collection DOAJ
description Aims: To describe patients’ experience self-managing conservative interventions for fecal incontinence (FI) during usual FI care. Methods: Community-living adults with FI recruited from urogynecology and continence clinics participated in a pilot study developing a mobile application for FI self-management support. Data were collected using a demographics questionnaire, FI severity index tool, and semi-structured interviews about participants’ experience self-managing conservative interventions for FI which were part of their usual care treatment plan. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim using online video software. Transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. Results: Data from 17 women, aged 30 to ≥60 years, 9 White, 8 Black/African American, who had FI ranging from less than one year to more than 10 years were analyzed in this study. Themes of responses described starting interventions soon after receiving them, mixed opinions about ease of performing some interventions (e.g., pelvic floor muscle exercises, completing diaries), barriers to performing interventions (e.g., forgetfulness, no time), practical strategies facilitating self-management (e.g., setting alarms, keeping a schedule), emotional strategies that were supportive and motivating (e.g., maintaining hope, seeing positive results), and advice about self-management to others with FI (seek help, give it time). Conclusion: Patient experiences provided clinicians with specific topics to target for patient education and ways to support themselves in self-managing FI.
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spelling doaj-art-bef3383748df4930b87d07ce69c7e4c22025-08-26T04:14:39ZengElsevierContinence2772-97372025-09-011510227310.1016/j.cont.2025.102273Patients’ experiences with self-management of conservative interventions for fecal incontinenceDonna Z. Bliss0Marshall K. Muehlbauer1Dominique Jamison2Alexandra Weinberger3Molly Conway4Casey Kirchschlager5Olga V. Gurvich6Jeannine McCormick7Ryanne Johnson8Mary Benbenek9Emma Jennings10Joseph A. Konstan11Holly E. Richter12University of Minnesota School of Nursing Minneapolis, MN, USA; Corresponding author. University of Minnesota School of Nursing, 5-140 Weaver Densford Hall, 308 Harvard Street, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.University of Minnesota School of Nursing Minneapolis, MN, USAUniversity of Minnesota School of Nursing Minneapolis, MN, USAUniversity of Minnesota School of Nursing Minneapolis, MN, USAUniversity of Minnesota School of Nursing Minneapolis, MN, USAUniversity of Minnesota School of Nursing Minneapolis, MN, USAUniversity of Minnesota School of Nursing Minneapolis, MN, USAUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Surgery, Birmingham, AL, USA; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Birmingham, AL, USAUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Surgery, Birmingham, AL, USAUniversity of Minnesota School of Nursing Minneapolis, MN, USAUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Surgery, Birmingham, AL, USAUniversity of Minnesota Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Minneapolis, MN, USAUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Surgery, Birmingham, AL, USAAims: To describe patients’ experience self-managing conservative interventions for fecal incontinence (FI) during usual FI care. Methods: Community-living adults with FI recruited from urogynecology and continence clinics participated in a pilot study developing a mobile application for FI self-management support. Data were collected using a demographics questionnaire, FI severity index tool, and semi-structured interviews about participants’ experience self-managing conservative interventions for FI which were part of their usual care treatment plan. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim using online video software. Transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. Results: Data from 17 women, aged 30 to ≥60 years, 9 White, 8 Black/African American, who had FI ranging from less than one year to more than 10 years were analyzed in this study. Themes of responses described starting interventions soon after receiving them, mixed opinions about ease of performing some interventions (e.g., pelvic floor muscle exercises, completing diaries), barriers to performing interventions (e.g., forgetfulness, no time), practical strategies facilitating self-management (e.g., setting alarms, keeping a schedule), emotional strategies that were supportive and motivating (e.g., maintaining hope, seeing positive results), and advice about self-management to others with FI (seek help, give it time). Conclusion: Patient experiences provided clinicians with specific topics to target for patient education and ways to support themselves in self-managing FI.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772973725005326Fecal incontinenceTreatmentConservative interventionsSelf-managementPatient experience
spellingShingle Donna Z. Bliss
Marshall K. Muehlbauer
Dominique Jamison
Alexandra Weinberger
Molly Conway
Casey Kirchschlager
Olga V. Gurvich
Jeannine McCormick
Ryanne Johnson
Mary Benbenek
Emma Jennings
Joseph A. Konstan
Holly E. Richter
Patients’ experiences with self-management of conservative interventions for fecal incontinence
Continence
Fecal incontinence
Treatment
Conservative interventions
Self-management
Patient experience
title Patients’ experiences with self-management of conservative interventions for fecal incontinence
title_full Patients’ experiences with self-management of conservative interventions for fecal incontinence
title_fullStr Patients’ experiences with self-management of conservative interventions for fecal incontinence
title_full_unstemmed Patients’ experiences with self-management of conservative interventions for fecal incontinence
title_short Patients’ experiences with self-management of conservative interventions for fecal incontinence
title_sort patients experiences with self management of conservative interventions for fecal incontinence
topic Fecal incontinence
Treatment
Conservative interventions
Self-management
Patient experience
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772973725005326
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