Common Doesn’t Mean Normal: Rethinking Urinary Incontinence Care

It affects nearly 60% of women, yet it's often underreported.

and sadly, undertreated.

So let me talk to you, both of you, and we'll start with you, Adonis.

What gaps in current care motivated the launch of the EMPOWER study? And why did you feel that primary care was the right place to intervene? So we'll start with you and then get Gautam in.

The EMPOWER study was essentially developed in response to the management of urinary incontinence initiative by the Agency for Health Research and Quality.

And we put together a group in order to respond to that initiative and to address the gap.

So as you well said, on one hand, you have a very prevalent condition.

Up to 60% of women have urinary incontinence.

On another hand, you have therapies that are very effective, including non-surgical therapies that are available for the management of urinary incontinence.

But the sad story is that only 12.5% of women with urinary incontinence receive care.

So there is a big gap between the prevalence of the condition as well as the management of the condition.

And now one other thing, as you said, is underreported.

Only 25% of women come forward and describe the issue of urinary incontinence to the primary care physician.

And when they do, less than 50% are managed and their problem is addressed.

So there is a definite need.

And to answer your second question is why primary care physician offices? the primary care physicians.

I think because primary care physicians are the gatekeepers in our society, and because there is opportunity to, if we want to improve on the delivery of care, is to empower our primary care physicians, address some of the barriers.

And as we will know, there are patient-related barriers, but there are also provider-related barriers.

So there is data that support that despite our education about urinary incontinence, unfortunately, the adherence to some of the recommendation on the management of urinary incontinence by the primary care physicians is poor to moderate in some respect.

So there is definitely an opportunity for us to intervene and to improve on the management in the primary care setting.