The Effect of an Educational/Behavioral Intervention on Urinary Inconsistence of Women with Multiple Sclerosis

Introduction: Considering the high prevalence and importance of multiple sclerosis (MS) and its complications, especially urinary incontinence and the need to identify less complicated and effective treatment methods for it, this study aimed to investigate the effect of an educational intervention on urinary incontinence of women with MS. Methods: In this semi–experimental study, 70 MS patients with urinary incontinence, who referred to the affiliated hospitals of Tehran Islamic Azad University 2021–2022, were included non–randomly. Two sessions of 45–minute pelvic floor muscle training, standard method of urination and regulation of fluid intake were provided to the patients. The urinary leakage before and after the intervention were evaluated using ICIQ–UI questionnaire and the results were compared using SPSS v.23. Results: Comparing the post–intervention values with pre–intervention values showed significant decrease in mean frequency of urinary leakage (from 1.19±0.89 to 2.90±1.05; p=0.012), mean amount of urinary leakage (from 4.20±1.49 to 1.49±1.23; p=0.003), and the impact of urinary leakage on the quality of life (from 2.82±0.92 to 1.01±0.75; p=0.012). Conclusion: The educational/behavioral training had a significant effect on urinary control of women with MS and reduced the impact of UI on their QOL; therefore, this method is suggested as an effective, easily applicable, and available tool to be implemented for treatment of urinary incontinence in women with MS.