Education and Direct Physiotherapy Referral to Reduce Urinary Incontinence After Prostate Cancer Surgery

What this Trial Is About

Urinary incontinence often occurs after radical prostatectomy and can greatly affect quality of life. This trial examines whether a structured pre-operative education program combined with direct referral to pelvic floor physiotherapy can reduce urinary incontinence after surgery compared to the usual care. The study is a single-centre, parallel-group randomized controlled trial involving men scheduled for radical prostatectomy at Beaumont Hospital. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. The standard care group receives an educational video and a recommendation for physiotherapy, but patients must initiate their own referral. The intervention group receives a one-to-one education session led by an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, a scheduled follow-up call 7 to 10 days after surgery, and direct referral to supervised pelvic floor physiotherapy. Follow-up visits take place at 6 weeks and 3 months after surgery. During the study, participants will track their urinary pad use over 7 days, and researchers will measure the average number of pads used per day at 3 months. Other assessments include the time it takes to regain continence, quality of life surveys, physiotherapy adherence, and any complications within 90 days after surgery. The total participation involves observation and follow-up for at least 3 months post-operatively.

Pre-Operative Nurse-Led Education With Direct Physiotherapy Referral to Reduce Post-Prostatectomy Incontinence