Background and Aim: Lack of awareness and inadequate knowledge about pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), its nature, complications, prevention, and available treatments leads to increased anxiety, exacerbation of disease symptoms, and decreased quality of life. Given the high prevalence of pelvic floor disorders, this study aimed to determine the knowledge of pelvic floor disorders in women referring to clinics of teaching hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive-cross-sectional study was conducted in the women’s clinics of teaching hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in the period from July and December 2024. 205 people were included in the study using a convenience sampling method with inclusion criteria. Eligibility criteria included Iranian women over 18 years who spoke Persian and could read and write, and who provided consent to participate in the study. Participants who completed the questionnaires incompletely (more than 20% of questions unanswered) were excluded from the study. The data collection tool was a demographic and prolapse and incontinence knowledge questionnaire (PIKQ). Data analysis was performed using SPSS after checking for normality with Kolmogorov-Smirnov.
Results: The median age of the participants was 41. The median knowledge in the field of pelvic organ prolapse was 9 (total score range from 0 to 12), and in the field of urinary incontinence was 8 (total score range from 0 to 12), and the median overall score of the questionnaire was 17 (total score range from 0 to 24), and an interquartile range of 7. 98. (47.8%) of the women had poor and moderate knowledge, and 107 (52.2%) had good knowledge. The highest level of knowledge was related to the etiology domain, while the lowest was related to the diagnosis domain. An analysis of the relationship between demographic variables and the knowledge of pelvic floor disorders showed that, overall, there was no significant association between age (P=0.60), history of pelvic floor disorders (P=0.73), number of deliveries (P=0.67), and mode of delivery (P=0.37) with the knowledge score of pelvic floor disorders.The majority of participants (106 individuals, 51.7%) obtained their required health information from physicians, midwives, or other healthcare providers.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that almost half of the participants had poor to moderate levels of knowledge, and the lowest level of knowledge among participants with both disorders was in the areas of diagnosis and treatment. It is recommended that educational programs be designed and implemented to increase the awareness of women in the community about pelvic floor disorders. Additionally, the use of a pelvic floor disorders knowledge questionnaire may aid physicians in monitoring educational and therapeutic interventions for patients and ensuring that they receive the information necessary to manage their condition effectively.
