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Respect Is an Important Process of Care to Minimize Perceptions of Unmet Health Care Needs Among Elderly Women with Urinary Incontinence (308496)

Keywords: urinary incontinence, social support, unmet needs, healthcare utilization, process of care

Background: Research into developing models examining whether the processes of care that elderly women with urinary incontinence (UI) encounter once they seek medical help influence perceptions of unmet healthcare needs is warranted. Methods: A total of 2051 non-institutionalized women responding to the tenth survey of SWAN were included. Adjusted logistic regression was done to examine the effects of processes of care during medical encounters on the perceptions of unmet healthcare needs. Results: Median age of participants was 56 years. Two thirds of women experienced both treatment with less courtesy and respect, respectively. Higher odds of unmet needs were found in women who reported personal perceptions of being treated with less respect [aOR 1.519 (1.032, 2.236)]. Lower odds were seen in women who had social support in someone to confide in when experiencing problems [aOR 0.776 (0.645, 0.933)]. Conclusion: Perceptions of unmet needs among elderly women with UI differ by the women’s perceptions of how they are being treated and approached. Documentation of such variations condition require more research into the processes of care available to treat this vulnerable population.