Telehealth in the Rehabilitation of Urinary Incontinence in Older Women

January 9, 2024 updated by: Luis Henrique Telles da Rosa, Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre

Telehealth in the Rehabilitation of Urinary Incontinence in Older Women: Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to compare the effectiveness of a pelvic floor rehabilitation program in a face-to-face versus remote in community-dwelling elderly women with urinary incontinence. The main question it aims to answer is: What is the difference in effectiveness of a pelvic floor rehabilitation program through face-to-face versus remote intervention? Participants will be divided into three groups: Synchronous Group: will receive guidance and perform a real-time guided pelvic physiotherapy protocol through online physiotherapy by the physiotherapist, Asynchronous Group: will receive guidance and perform a pelvic physiotherapy protocol after the evaluation, without the real-time monitoring by the physical therapist and face-to-face group: will receive guidelines and will perform a pelvic physiotherapy protocol oriented in person by the physical therapist. All groups will receive the same treatment for 12 weeks, which will include floor muscle training pelvic floor, urge suppression techniques, bladder training and behavioral therapy. Participants will be evaluated pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, and at the end of 12 weeks.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Aging is associated with changes in body composition, including a decrease in skeletal muscle mass. As a result, approximately 30-40% of the elderly may experience urinary incontinence, considered one of the most important geriatric syndromes, associated with a negative impact on quality of life. In clinical practice, pelvic floor muscle training and behavioral therapy promote positive effects on pelvic floor rehabilitation when performed and guided through face-to-face consultations. Through Telehealth, the aspects that refer to the role of the physiotherapist, technologies used and format of the approach do not seem to be clarified. Virtual home care is an accepted reality because it improves access to health care and has a positive effect on outcomes. However, barriers to its use can affect the accessibility. According to the World Health Organization, the definition of telehealth is "the provision of health services, where distance is a critical factor, by all health professionals, using information and communication technologies to exchange valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injury, research and evaluation, and for the continuing education of health professionals, all in the interest of promoting the health of individuals and their communities". The World Confederation for Physical Therapy defines digital practice, "a term used to describe health services, support, and information provided remotely through digital communication and devices." The main objective is "to facilitate the effective delivery of Physical Therapy services, improving access to care and information, and managing health resources". In Brazil, the Federal Council of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy published the resolution for the practice of telehealth in a pandemic period, teleconsultation, telemonitoring and teleconsultation. Our hypothesis is that the synchronous and asynchronous communication between the physiotherapist and the participants, with or without the help of caregivers, may enable adherence to the home rehabilitation process when compared to face-to-face treatment, minimizing the effects of urinary incontinence. This study proposes to contribute to knowledge in the field of Pelvic Physiotherapy, in particular, through telehealth to provide the service of rehabilitation for elderly women with pelvic floor disorders, using the advancement of technology as a facilitator of synchronous and asynchronous communication, to approach elderly urinary incontinence and still compare the two forms of rehabilitation through telehealth with the face-to-face treatment. It is widely known that urinary incontinence is a factor of social inhibition for causing embarrassment, in addition to producing disturbance in the sleep in the face of increased nocturnal voiding frequency, directly affecting the quality of life of the elderly. The proposed safe and guided by a physiotherapist through three rehabilitation programs, synchronous telerehabilitation (in real time), asynchronous telerehabilitation (without real-time contact) and face-to-face rehabilitation, can be used to provide interventions in order to optimize health-related quality of life.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
69

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Brazil
    • Rio Grande Do Sul
      • Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil, 90050-170
        • Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 60 years old or more;
  • Urinary Incontinence for at least 12 months
  • Internet access.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pelvic cancer;
  • Sling surgery;
  • Urinary catheter;
  • Antimuscarinic medication;
  • Alzheimer;
  • Parkinson;
  • Multiple Sclerosis;
  • Uncontrolled diabetes.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Synchronous Group
Will receive guidance and perform a real-time guided pelvic physiotherapy protocol through online physiotherapy by the physiotherapist.
Other: Pelvic physiotherapy
All groups will receive the same treatment for 12 weeks, which will include floor muscle training pelvic floor, urge suppression techniques, bladder training and behavioral therapy.
Experimental: Asynchronous Group
Will receive guidance and perform a pelvic physiotherapy protocol after the evaluation, without the real-time monitoring by the physical therapist
Other: Pelvic physiotherapy
All groups will receive the same treatment for 12 weeks, which will include floor muscle training pelvic floor, urge suppression techniques, bladder training and behavioral therapy.
Active Comparator: Face-to-face group
Will receive guidelines and will perform a pelvic physiotherapy protocol oriented in person by the physical therapist.
Other: Pelvic physiotherapy
All groups will receive the same treatment for 12 weeks, which will include floor muscle training pelvic floor, urge suppression techniques, bladder training and behavioral therapy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Presence of Urinary Incontinence.
Time Frame: Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.
Application of The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF)
Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.
Type of Urinary Incontinence.
Time Frame: Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.
Type of UI by self-report question: What kind of Has leakage occurred more frequently in the last 7 days?
Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.
Frequency of Urinary Incontinence
Time Frame: Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.
Self-reported frequency of leakage
Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.
Frequency of Urinary Incontinence.
Time Frame: Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.
Self-reported use of pads.
Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.
Overactive bladder symptoms.
Time Frame: Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.
Application of The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Overactive Bladder (ICIQ OAB)
Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.
Quality of Life.
Time Frame: Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.
Application of The International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life (ICIQ- LUTSqol).
Pre-treatment, at the end of the 6th week, at the end of 12 weeks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Adherence to the study.
Time Frame: At the end of the 6th week and at the end of 12 weeks.

Self-reported adherence to the protocol:

Patients will report how many days they performed the guided exercises.
At the end of the 6th week and at the end of 12 weeks.
Patient's Satisfaction.
Time Frame: At the end of 12 weeks.
Application of The MedRisk Instrument for Measuring Patient Satisfaction With Physical Therapy Care (MRPS).
At the end of 12 weeks.
Patient's Satisfaction.
Time Frame: At the end of 12 weeks.
Application of The TELEHEALTH USABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (TUQ)
At the end of 12 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Luís H. Telles da Rosa, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 20, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 20, 2023

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 20, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 14, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 9, 2024

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 11, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 11, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 9, 2024

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • UFCSPAUI

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings