Outcomes of Urinary Incontinence Treatment in Primary Care: APP Co-Management and Electronic Consult

Summary

The burden of urinary incontinence (UI) on American women is immense in both human and financial terms, and continues to rise with the aging US population. Although numerous non-surgical management strategies have proven efficacy for both stress and urge urinary incontinence, there remains a lack of appropriate UI management in the primary care setting. The goal of this multi-site cluster randomized comparative effectiveness trial is to compare the effects of two methods of nonsurgical UI care delivery - electronic consult vs. advanced practice provider (APP) co-management. These two evidence-based, practice-changing strategies are designed to improve the quality of care for an ethnically diverse population of women with UI, and, by reducing deficits in care, obtain better patient-reported outcomes. Both arms of the study will include basic physician education (academic detailing) and electronic clinical decision support. In Arm 1, the investigators will implement an electronic referral system (electronic referral), in which specialists will electronically review referrals and make additional recommendations if appropriate primary UI care was not provided. In Arm 2, Advanced Practice Provider (APP) co-management will reduce the burden of care on the PCPs by providing UI care, patient education, and assisting with patient self-management through dedicated televisits (APP co-management).

Conditions

• Urinary Incontinence

Interventions

OTHER

APP Co-management

To reduce additional burden of care on the PCPs, the investigators will incorporate Advanced Practices Providers into the patient education and self-management portion of care. The APPs will be trained together with the intervention physicians, but they will also undergo additional standardized training on patient education, UI knowledge, providing instruction on Kegel exercises, shared decision making, and self management. Patients will then be scheduled for a UI education and self-management session with the APP by telemedicine (video visit or telephone visit) within one month of their initial visit. For patients in need of an annual pelvic examination, and if the patient's PCP prefers to have the APP conduct the pelvic exam, a separate visit will be scheduled with the APP. A followup televisit will then be scheduled within three months of the initial APP visit, in order to assess the outcome of non-surgical treatment and determine if a specialist referral is indicated.

OTHER

E-consult

In implementing the electronic consultation system in the private sector, the investigators will model the Expected Practice developed by the Los Angeles County Specialty-Primary Care Work Group. This eConsult system utilizes a "kickback" mechanism by which a specialist, who reviews the referral, can return it if it has not met certain baseline criteria (e.g. for a woman with OAB/urinary urgency: document negative UA, scheduled voids, titrate fluids to thirst, Kegels, antimuscarinics, optimize diuretic control, adjust any diuretics).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Los Angeles

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Kansas

  collaborator OTHER

• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

  collaborator OTHER

• University of California, San Diego

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-02-16

Primary Completion

2028-04-01

Completion

2029-11-08

Countries

• United States

Study Locations