Prevalence of urinary incontinence in postpartum women and physiotherapy interventions applied : an integrative review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE : This integrative review identified studies that reported the prevalence of physiotherapeutic interventions for urinary incontinence among postpartum women. METHODS : This is an integrative literature review study. We used the integrative literature review framework proposed by Whittemore and Knafl to search for relevant literature. SEARCH STRATEGY : The search strategy for electronic databases was developed from the research question and definitions of key concepts, assisted by the librarian. Databases that were searched include Google Scholar, Medline (PubMed), CINAHL, and the Joanna Briggs Institute databases. Both qualitative and quantitative studies that met the inclusion criteria were included. We used the CASP tool to assess the quality of selected papers. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS : The included articles were thematically analyzed. Thirty-six papers met the inclusion criteria for the review. Six themes emerged from the analysis: prevalence of postpartum UI; risk factors for postpartum UI; antenatal pelvic floor muscle training; conservative treatment and quality of life; experiences of postpartum women with UI; and possible coping strategies adopted by women. Most of the articles were quantitative studies (80.5%); 16.6% were qualitative and 2.7% adopted mixed methods. CONCLUSIONS : Urinary incontinence is common in postpartum women. Antenatal pelvic floor muscle training is protective against postpartum UI and should be the first-line treatment option.