Is Group-Based Pelvic Floor Telerehabilitation an Acceptable Care Option for Older Women With Urinary Incontinence? A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Purpose: Many older women experience urinary incontinence (UI). However, access to pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training, an effective first-line treatment, is limited. Group-based telerehabilitation appears cost-effective and could improve accessibility. Recent evidence suggests a group-based PFM telerehabilitation programme for treating UI in older women (teleGROUP) is feasible and clinically relevant. This qualitative study assessed teleGROUP's acceptability to both patients and a clinician. Method: Thirty-three older women who completed the teleGROUP programme, and the physiotherapist who led it, discussed their experiences in focus groups or interviews. We transcribed qualitative data and analyzed them using thematic analysis.

Results

Participating women enhanced self-efficacy in managing symptoms and contracting PFMs, reporting high self-efficacy in attending sessions and completing home exercises. The programme fostered positive affective attitudes in participants and the physiotherapist, aligned with their values, and improved self-efficacy with technology. Participants and the physiotherapist perceived clinical effectiveness as high. Women identified time commitment as a burden; the physiotherapist found time management challenging. However, the women found remote participation convenient. They recognized that PFM exercises led to symptom improvement.

Conclusion

The programme proved acceptable for older women and the physiotherapist. Pragmatic trials in real-life clinical settings and implementation studies are necessary for further validation.