The Use of Apps To Support Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise Kate - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Use of Apps To Support Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise Kate Stephen, PhD Student

The Use of Apps To Support Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise • Background • Research questions • Study design • Results • Conclusions & Further questions

Background: Urinary Incontinence

Background: Under reporting

Background: PFME

Background: Smart phone apps

Background: apps for UI / PFME

Research Questions What motivates women to do PFME? What factors help women to adhere to PFME? What are the barriers to adherence to PFME? What is the role of PFME apps in motivation and adherence to exercise?

Study Design Explanatory Controlled Trial E NROLMENT Assessed for eligibility (n= 30 ) Excluded (n= 2 )  Not meeting inclusion criteria (n= 1)  Declined to participate (n= 1) Stratification and Randomized (n=28) A LLOCATION Allocated to Intervention Group 1 (n= 14) Allocated to Control Group 2(n= 14) Received apps on an iPod (n= 10 ) Received intervention without apps (n= 14 ) Received apps without iPod* (n = 4 ) *Participants who had their own Apple mobile device that they had agreed to use

Study Design

Study Design

Results Of the participants in the intervention group (n=10), those who found the apps useful Apps 4 Useful Not useful 6

Results Of those who found the apps useful (n=4) All increased the frequency of their exercise Of those who didn’t find the apps useful (n=6) Five maintained regular exercise or increased the frequency of their exercise

Results Of the intervention group who got an Of the intervention group who just got iPod (n=7), those who found the apps (n=3), those who found the apps apps useful (n=3) useful (n=1) iPod Just Apps Useful Useful Not useful Not useful

Qualitative Results

Qualitative Results “The calm voice talked me ”They all seemed fun through the exercises to try and definitely making them simple and helped me get into relaxing as well as the habit of doing the WHAT reminding me of important exercises. In the end I ABOUT things and which muscles stopped using the THE to focus on. As the app app and just did the APPS counted each set for me, I exercises myself HELPED carried on and did more morning and night for than if I am doing the 100 reps each time.” exercises without the app.” They also made me “Encouraging and think about the “Clear and easy to kept me focused” timing.” follow”

Qualitative Results “What helped, and so far has continued to keep me “ Having the form to fill; exercising was having the being part of something form to truthfully fill in. It other people were doing; became a habit that, even sense of having a framework OTHER now I don’t have the form, I of support to exercise .” THINGS can visualise the number of THAT exercises I want to do and HELPED imaging writing them in.” “ Although the apps didn't “Having a set time to really help me a lot, the do the exercises” protocol & writing down “Chart on bathroom what I had done on every wall helped me to given day enabled me to develop habit” remember and get into a routine. I will continue!”

Conclusions Aspects of Adherence: Routine • Exercise & • Apps / adherence chart Habit Formation Functions Ease of Choice setting up Personalisation and use

Further Questions Too sexy? Too soon? Rogers E. (1995) Diffusion of Innovations ((4th ed))Free Press, New York Available at: http://www.jacobcurtis.com/socialprops/ http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-10/30/content_14002480.htm

Supervisors Dr Sarah-Anne Munoz UHI Rural Health & Wellbeing Prof Grant Cumming Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, NHS Grampian Honorary Senior Lecturer, UofA Honorary Professor, UHI Dr Mohamed Abdel-fattah Consultant, NHS Grampian Senior Clinical Lecturer, UofA Dr Melanie Smith Head of R&D, UHI Inverness College Thankyou

Final Thought “Thank you so much for helping me to learn to include the exercises in my daily routine !” “Thank you! My quality of life has improved.”