Occupational Therapy Interventions for Urinary Dysfunction in Primary Care: A Case Series.

Abstract

Urinary dysfunction is commonly reported in primary care contexts. A shortage of primary care providers is affecting access to relevant services. Occupational therapy practitioners work in primary care settings and typically address urinary dysfunction in an outpatient context. Evidence regarding the delivery of occupational therapy interventions for urinary dysfunction in primary care has been limited. In this study, 3 women received 9-14 occupational therapy sessions in a primary care setting to address urinary symptoms. Plan-of-care duration, assessments, and urinary dysfunction interventions were individualized to accommodate personal and environmental factors. Across all case-series participants, Canadian Occupational Performance Measure scores demonstrated clinically significant improvement. Mixed results were found for SF-36 health-related quality-of-life subscale scores. Assessment scores specific to urinary dysfunction decreased, indicating reduced symptom severity and functional impact. This article provides preliminary evidence regarding the feasibility of occupational therapy interventions addressing urinary dysfunction in primary care settings.