Critiquing nursing research - Essay Example

In order to answer the above question the background questions were created, for example what is stress incontinence? Stress incontinence can be defined as involuntary urine loss due to sudden extra pressure, produced by activities such as sneezing, laughing, jumping or coughing. Therefore pelvic floor muscles and urethra cannot withstand the extra pressure BMJ (2009). What is the prevalence of stress incontinence? Its estimated around one in three women get SUI at some point in their lives. It can happen at any age, although its more common in women between the ages of 35 and 60 says Foldspang et al ( 1992 ) .

What causes USI? Most cases of stress incontinence are due to weakened pelvic floor muscles. The common reason for the pelvic floor muscles to become weakened is childbirth, pregnancy, being overweight, hysterectomy, smoking, and menopause. Some medication can affect the pelvic floor. Examples are alpha-blockers used to treat high blood pressure, some antidepressants and sedatives, and some muscle-relaxant drugs as quoted by BBC (2009) Another background question to conceder would be What are the current treatment available?

According to BBC ( 2009) the wide range of treatments available include pelvic floor exercises, which helps to strengthened muscles by doing exercises, which prevents involuntary leakage and vaginal cones . These are small plastic cones that are put inside vagina. The cones come in a set of different weights. At first, the lightest cone has to be used. Patient has to use pelvic floor muscles to hold the cone in place. In that way patients exercise the pelvic floor muscles. Electrical stimulations include a special electrical device, which is used to stimulate the pelvic floor muscles with the aim of making them contract and become stronger.

In surgery various surgical operations are used to treat stress incontinence. The operations aim to tighten or support