Journal article
Exploring the experiences of people with urogynaecology conditions in the UK: a reflexive thematic analysis and conceptual model
- Abstract:
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Background
Urogynaecological conditions, such as pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence, and urinary tract infection, can have a profound impact on people’s lives. The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review highlights missed opportunities to prevent harm when patient voices are not incorporated into healthcare policy and practice. This resonates with the Women’s Health Strategy for England. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Programme funded this in-depth qualitative exploration of people’s experiences of living with urogynaecological conditions, and of seeking healthcare treatment, to inform health and social care improvements in the UK.
MethodsWe conducted in-depth interviews online or by telephone (April 2021-December 2021) and used reflexive thematic analysis to develop themes that cut across urogynaecological conditions.
ResultsWe spoke to seventy-four adults aged 22–84 across a range of backgrounds and lived experiences of urogynaecological conditions, including pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence and persistent or recurring urinary tract infection. Eight themes were developed: [1] I get no respite from my own body; [2] I feel confined and separated; [3] I can no longer be ‘me’; [4] I am constrained by stigma, shame and silence; [5] I feel fragmented and lost in the healthcare system; [6] I need to be heard, believed, and valued; [7] I need respect as an equal partner in healthcare; and [8] (Re)connected to a more open community.
ConclusionsHigh quality care focuses on the whole person rather than their body parts. Openness and candour support a shared decision-making model of care. A culture of shame can have a negative impact on access to health care and recovery.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 1.4MB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1186/s12905-023-02592-w
Authors
- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/0187kwz08
- Grant:
- NIHR202450
- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/03sbpja79
- Publisher:
- BioMed Central
- Journal:
- BMC Women's Health More from this journal
- Volume:
- 23
- Issue:
- 1
- Article number:
- 431
- Place of publication:
- England
- Publication date:
- 2023-08-14
- Acceptance date:
- 2023-08-08
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1472-6874
- Pmid:
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37580761
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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1510028
- Local pid:
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pubs:1510028
- Deposit date:
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2025-09-09
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Toye et al
- Copyright date:
- 2023
- Rights statement:
- © The Author(s), 2023. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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