Effectiveness of Educational Interventions on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions in improving knowledge, attitudes and/or practices (KAP) related to Urinary Incontinence (UI) in women.

Method: Systematic review.

Search Strategy: We searched the databases PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, Virtual Health Library and Embase and identified 467 potential records. We selected studies that measured any component of the KAP before and after an educational intervention. We excluded studies that used health care professionals as subjects. Two independent authors extracted data from the eligible studies using a standard form. We used the "Risk of Bias tool", the Rob 2.0 tool, and the ROBINS-I tool to assess methodological quality of studies and possible sources of bias. Findings were synthesized qualitatively.

Findings/conclusions: The sample comprised five studies. The non-randomized studies showed a low risk of bias, and randomized studies were classified as having "some concerns". Most activities were conducted in classrooms and in group settings, with oral discussion of the theme and use of videos and brochures. Trained professionals delivered all interventions. Findings suggest that the educational interventions were effective in improving women's knowledge and may improve attitudes and/or practices related to UI. Evidence related to the effect of these interventions was sparse.

Implications: The differences in KAP found before and after interventions suggest that educational strategies improve women's knowledge and may improve attitudes and practices related to UI, although additional research is needed to confirm these findings.