Development of the Pelvi-Fit app for women with urinary incontinence.

OBJECTIVES

Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) offer a promising solution for Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) in Urinary Incontinence (UI). The current study aimed to develop and validate Pelvi-Fit, which is the first Urdu language mHealth app for the management of UI designed for the overall Pakistani population.

STUDY

DESIGN

A two-phase study was conducted in 2023. In Phase I, the Pelvi-Fit app was developed through expert input and validated for usability and content. Phase II involved a six-week randomised pilot trial, enrolling n = 20 participants. They were divided into an experimental and a control group receiving the Pelvi-Fit app and a conventional intervention respectively. Outcome measures included the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) for evaluation of the severity of UI symptoms, and its impact on health-related quality of life, Incontinence Severity Index (ISI-UI) for the frequency and amount of leakage. Patient satisfaction and feasibility scale and the System Usability Scale (SUS). SPSS version 23 was used.

RESULTS

The content of the Pelvi-Fit application is valid and appropriate. Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in UI symptoms, with greater reductions in ICIQ-UI (mean ± SD: 1.8 ± 1.13 vs. 2.8 ± 1.03) and ISI-UI (0.2 ± 0.42 vs. 0.9 ± 0.99) scores in the app-based group. The Pelvi-Fit app achieved a SUS score of 79.00 ± 4.47, indicating high usability and patient satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

The Pelvi-Fit app is valid, effective, feasible and an accessible mHealth app for reducing clinical symptoms of UI, demonstrating good patient satisfaction and usability. Further studies are recommended to validate long-term efficacy and scalability.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05909969.