Nonsurgical treatment of chronic idiopathic urinary retention: a scoping survey of physiotherapists' perspectives.

BACKGROUND

Treatment for chronic idiopathic urinary retention often involves invasive or surgical inventions. Physiotherapy may have a range of non-invasive treatments to offer, but this is under studied.

PURPOSE: To survey healthcare professionals exploring their experience and understanding of non-surgical treatments for chronic idiopathic urinary retention.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

An online survey was conducted using purposive sampling to include healthcare professionals who see patients with chronic idiopathic urinary retention.

RESULTS

There were 100 responses with 20/100 (20%) answering the optional "specialist" questions. Ninety percent perceived that chronic idiopathic urinary retention occurred with other conditions. Perception of recovery was poor. Only 3/20 (15%) perceived that more than half of patients improve. Non-surgical interventions included: education, pelvic floor physiotherapy, biofeedback, and tibial nerve stimulation. There were moderate to high levels of interest in treating this condition but low levels of confidence in ability. Seventy percent (70/100) perceived a lack of support from referrers and multidisciplinary colleagues.

CONCLUSIONS

Health professionals were interested in treating chronic idiopathic urinary retention and perceived that physiotherapy had something to offer this patient group. The low reported levels of confidence in ability reflects the lack of supporting literature. CONTRIBUTION OF THE PAPER.