Emotions Associated With Urinary Incontinence in Nursing Home Residents: A Phenomenological Analysis of Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives.
Meltem Yildirim, Sandra Rierola-Fochs, Eduard Minobes-Molina and 5 others
PMID 42333049WHAT IT FOUND
Nursing home staff reported residents with urinary incontinence felt embarrassment, guilt, anger and fear of leaking, especially during activities.
Staff said calm handling, trust and toilet-accessible activities were seen to help; resident conflict and cognitive impairment worsened distress.
Key findings
01Healthcare professionals described residents' emotions about long-term urinary incontinence as embarrassment, shame, frustration, guilt, impotence, discomfort and anger.
02Healthcare professionals described fear of future urinary loss as making residents avoid or interrupt daily activities, feel insecure and angry, and worry about leaking in front of others.
03Staff-identified factors described as easing distress included de-emphasising UI, building trust and adapting activities; resident conflict and cognitive impairment were described as worsening distress.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study did not ask residents directly. It used healthcare professionals' proxy reports because pandemic restrictions prevented interviews with residents, so the findings are staff interpretations rather than first-person accounts. Participants were staff, not patients, families or the public. The sample was small and purposive: 17 healthcare professionals, with 5 nurse's aides, 4 physiotherapists, 3 nurses, 2 psychologists, 2 occupational therapists and 1 director. The homes were in one region, 9 nursing homes in Osona, Spain. Interviews lasted about 20 minutes and were online, which may limit depth. Recall bias was possible because participants described residents' emotions from memory. Many residents could not self-report, and the study did not include residents with cognitive impairment directly.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the Hestia Chair from Universitat Internacional de Catalunya and the Col·legi de Fisioterapeutes de Catalunya. One author also held a grant from the Research Council of Lithuania and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of Lithuania. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these staff reports as residents' own voices or proof that the suggested changes work. The study interviewed 17 healthcare professionals, not residents, and used proxy accounts because pandemic restrictions prevented direct resident interviews.