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Quality of life of woman with incontinence
NĚMCOVÁ, Anna
Incontinence, i.e. involuntary paging of urine, is a hygienic, as well as a social, economic and partnership problem. It is a symptom which has various causes. Women of all ages suffer from this symptom while the incidence rises with older age. Incontinence can even affect pregnant women and women after birth. Urine incontinence affects the quality of life to a large extent. Although a number of ways exist of how to solve the problem, women are ashamed to openly speak about it. The task of the midwife is to provide female patients with all information concerning the reasons and the ways of how to cope with incontinence, and therefore to contribute to improve their quality of life. The theoretical part focuses on the anatomy of urinary tract and urination physiology. Furthermore, it describes the types of incontinence, its reasons, diagnosis and the subsequent therapy. In its final part it describes the role of the midwife. The practical part deals with the findings of the way of how incontinence influences affects a woman?s life. Furthermore, it focuses on the way women are informed and where woman obtain information about incontinence. A qualitative survey, i.e. a method of enquiry and a technique of in-depth interviews was chosen to process the task and achieve the predetermined aims. A SEIQoL questionnaire was used as an additional method. The questionnaire compares the resulting values of the quality of life of women who have finished a course of treatment of incontinence with those still being treated at out-patient urogynaecological units. The qualitative survey was conducted in the city of České Budějovice and its vicinity from 29th March to 13th April 2011. A total of 13 in-depth interviews were carried out. There aims were set together with related enquiry questions. The purpose of the project was to find out how women regard the quality of their lives with incontinence, if they are well informed about their problem and where they obtained the information. The purpose of the work was to also compile an educational programme on how to improve the quality of life of woman with incontinence involving the work carried by midwife. The SEIQoL questionnaire showed that the quality of life of women still suffering from urinary incontinence further deteriorates in comparison with that of woman who has been cured. The assessment of the quality of life of women suffering suffering with incontinence should not just be dealt with in scientific articles or research. They should be more sympathetic and assist women in their uneasy situation more than in the practice today. In this respect the education of midwives is extremely important and more attention should be devoted to it.
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