Nurses' experience of women suffering from urinary incontinence, their associated health needs and provision of care for these women in Arusha, Tanzania

Abstract: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a worldwide problem with negative consequences on women's health and day-to-day life. Yet, the problem is partly unexplored and often stigmatized. Thus, the aim of the study was to describe nurses’ experience of women suffering from UI, their associated health needs and provision of care for these women in Arusha, Tanzania. A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews with a convenient sample was an applicable and preferable method to proceed the research. The collected data from eight interviews with nurses from various hospitals formed the foundation of the result, as it was analyzed with an inductive content analysis. The main findings consisted by; the experience of what is making women suffer from UI; the experience of the associated health needs; and the experience of providing care to the affected women. The result in this study highlighted how the nurse responded to the affected women’s needs. Though, it indicated that the women's health needs might go beyond the possibilities of care a nurse can provide. The health needs were often more complex and profound than the health care could manage. Thus, this emphasized the importance of identification and caring for these women. Giving that the nurse role was to give support, both physically and mentally, and to increase the knowledge among women, but also on a societal level in Tanzania.