Yuqing Li

Felician University, United States

Abstract Title: The effectiveness of pelvic floor physical therapy in postpartum women with stress urinary incontinence

Biography:

Yuqing Li is a dedicated and compassionate registered nurse with over nine years of strong clinical background in medical-surgical, orthopedics, trauma care, and obstetrics inpatient care. Yuqing has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered care; she is pursuing her master’s degree in nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner and is set to graduate in May 2025. Throughout her career, Yuqing has discovered her passion for women’s health, and her devotion for promoting preventive care drives her commitment to implementing innovative healthcare solutions. Yuqing aims to leverage her extensive nursing experience and newly acquired advanced clinical skills to improve patient outcomes through evidence-based practice. This research project promotes early referral of postpartum women with SUI symptoms to pelvic floor physical therapy, which will benefit women in the long run and exemplifies her dedication to continuing to be an advocate for her patients at an advanced level.

Research Interest:

Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is relatively common in postpartum women, with prevalence rates ranging from 20% to 50% in the first six months after delivery. A significant number of women continue to have symptoms of incontinence long-term. It has a profound effect on women’s health and quality of life. However, early screening for postpartum SUI is not routinely practiced in many women’s health clinics. Implement a simple SUI questionnaire for women to complete during their postpartum visit. Early recognition of postpartum SUI promotes early referral to pelvic floor physical therapy.
Objective: To promote early referral of postpartum women with SUI symptoms to pelvic floor physical therapy by routinely screening for postpartum SUI-related symptoms.
Methods: Utilizing the Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice (JHEBP) Model, this project targets postpartum women who recently had vaginal delivery in the women’s health clinic. Key stakeholders include the clinic owner, healthcare providers, office staff, and physical therapy facility owners and their physical therapists, engaged through a six-month pilot. The intervention includes providing a postpartum SUI screening questionnaire to identify the target population and refer them for pelvic floor physical therapy. Continue monitoring patient adherence and evaluating stakeholder feedback and the efficacy of pelvic floor physical therapy in reducing urinary incontinence symptoms.
Results: The implementation of routine postpartum SUI screening is expected to identify many postpartum women in need of pelvic floor physical therapy to help with their urinary incontinence symptoms. Preliminary data demonstrate pelvic floor muscle training effectively reduces postpartum SUI symptoms and positive feedback from stakeholders.
Conclusion: This project demonstrates the benefit of routine screening for postpartum SUI, which promotes early recognition of women in need of pelvic floor physical therapy referral. The findings suggest that pelvic floor muscle training effectively reduces postpartum SUI symptoms, underscoring the importance of early pelvic floor rehabilitation and monitoring. Future efforts should focus on expanding the postpartum SUI screening to other women’s health clinics across New Jersey and nationally.