Mulheres com Incontinência Urinária - IU : análise do perfil e impacto no caminho percorrido até o diagnóstico

Abstract

Urinary Incontinence (UI) with or without genital dystopia is a problem that affects millions of people of all ages, especially females. The objective of this research is to analyze the clinical and sociodemographic profile of women with complaints of UI assisted in the Primary Health Care (PHC) of the Unified Health System (SUS) in the city of João Pessoa/PB. For this study, a retrospective path was taken, based on the demand at the specialized Urogynecology outpatient clinic of the Lauro Wanderley University Hospital (HULW), since its origins in Primary Care (PC). It is a descriptive, cross-sectional and retrospective study with women from Health Districts I, II and III referred to the outpatient clinic of the specialized service. The pre-selection of these women occurred by filling out a semi-structured form, containing sociodemographic and clinical data. Data collection took place after authorization from the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) of the Medical Sciences Center (CCM/UFPB) and patients were informed of the research objectives and signed the Informed Consent Form (ICF). After this, the validated ICIQ–SF Questionnaire (International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form). The interviews were carried out in their homes, at their suggestion, as they did not feel comfortable answering the questionnaires and carrying out the interview in their USF Basic Health Units (UBS) of origin. The research indicated that UI mainly affects women close to climacteric and menopause, being intensified by factors such as age, ethnicities, number of vaginal births and comorbidities. The results also pointed to the invisibility of these women with UI in public health services, which, due to misinformation or lack of professional training, fail to indicate conservative interventions such as urogenital physiotherapy as a way of minimizing or correcting the problem. The lack of public health policies that effectively address this condition was also observed. It is concluded that improving information, health education and professional training, through public policies, is fundamental to providing a better quality of life for women affected by Urinary Incontinence.