Structured Teaching Programme and Its Relevance in Preventing Recurrent Urinary Infection in Perimenopausal Women: A Community-based Study

Abstract

AbstractIntroduction:Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common acquired bacterial infections in individuals producing an array of symptoms, complications and recurrence. Perimenopausal women are particularly vulnerable to UTI due to specific anatomical and physiological changes occurring during this transition period. Recurrent UTI (RUTI) can be prevented to a great extent by adopting non-antibacterial measures including lifestyle modifications.Aim of the Study:The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge regarding the prevention of UTI in the target community and the effectiveness of structured teaching programme on lifestyle modification to prevent RUTI and to find out the association between the post-test scores with selected demographic variables.Methodology:The study was conducted at selected hospitals in Bengaluru involving 60 perimenopausal women with RUTI. A structured knowledge questionnaire comprising three parts was developed to conduct the data collection. The data were collected and the results were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results:Only 18% of patients in the perimenopausal group had knowledge on urinary system and its function, 8.45% had knowledge on UTI and 7.45% had knowledge on preventive measures of UTI. Eighty per cent of patients had inadequate knowledge on the urinary system, UTI and preventive measures, while 16.67% had moderate knowledge and only a meagre 3.34% had overall adequate knowledge on the questionnaire. Using a structured teaching programme, 71.75% of patients attained knowledge on urinary system and its function, 43.2% attained knowledge on UTI and 62.3% attained knowledge on preventive measures of UTI. The improvement levels in knowledge by the structured teaching programme were maximum in the age group over 46 years and educated (undergraduate and graduate) groups compared to the younger aged and those who had only basic education.Conclusions:By adopting a structured teaching programme to improve the knowledge, we could significantly reduce the incidence of RUTI in perimenopausal women.