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The journey from self-care to GP care: a qualitative interview study of women presenting with symptoms of urinary tract infection

The journey from self-care to GP care: a qualitative interview study of women presenting with symptoms of urinary tract infection
The journey from self-care to GP care: a qualitative interview study of women presenting with symptoms of urinary tract infection
Background: urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the commonest acute infections presenting to primary care. Little is known of women's experiences of UTI; self-care strategies and key triggers for their consulting behaviour are also little known.

Aim: to explore women's experiences of self-care and their journey to GP care, when faced with symptoms of a UTI.

Design of study: qualitative semi-structured interview study with women recruited to a larger UK trial of different management strategies for UTI.

Setting: general practices across four counties in southern England.

Method: twenty-one women were interviewed about the experiences they had prior to their GP visit, self-care strategies, and triggers for help seeking. Interviews were analysed thematically, using principles of analytic induction.

Results: women reported a process of evaluation, monitoring, re-evaluation, and, finally, consulting in order to meet their needs. Four key triggers for consulting were identified: failure to alleviate symptoms through self-care; symptom duration and escalation; impeding normal functioning and the fulfilment of social roles; and concern that it may be or become a serious illness.

Conclusion: although UTI is often self-limiting, when taking patient histories and formulating their management strategies clinicians need to take into account women's often painful experience, their efforts to resolve symptoms prior to consulting, and their fears that the symptoms may indicate something more serious than a UTI

antibiotics, consultation, urinary tract infection
0960-1643
e219-e225
Leydon, Geraldine M.
c5cdaff5-0fa1-4d38-b575-b97c2892ec40
Turner, Sheila
42f19397-8e9f-435d-a348-2cc1639b5eb4
Smith, Helen
e9ebdc59-6964-49b5-a2cd-b76d58ab77e1
Little, Paul
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777
Moore, M.V.
1be81dad-7120-45f0-bbed-f3b0cc0cfe99
Arscott, A.
22f3cd24-cae2-4d04-afec-1d1aae62a2b1
Hawke, C.
a10de6c7-ee96-4ea1-aa75-571dd87d1e63
Lowes, J.A.
eff6751b-62b6-4755-a92e-b1c6e03db3b6
Mullee, M.A.
fd3f91c3-5e95-4f56-8d73-260824eeb362
Rumsby, K.
2002ee8a-32ac-4119-869d-ed35164c3b51
Turner, D.
dbe8594a-d211-4efe-abec-46a6e0451623
Warner, G.
a7c8d450-67a4-46c9-ad1e-4a17d6816590
on behalf of the UTIS team
Leydon, Geraldine M.
c5cdaff5-0fa1-4d38-b575-b97c2892ec40
Turner, Sheila
42f19397-8e9f-435d-a348-2cc1639b5eb4
Smith, Helen
e9ebdc59-6964-49b5-a2cd-b76d58ab77e1
Little, Paul
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777
Moore, M.V.
1be81dad-7120-45f0-bbed-f3b0cc0cfe99
Arscott, A.
22f3cd24-cae2-4d04-afec-1d1aae62a2b1
Hawke, C.
a10de6c7-ee96-4ea1-aa75-571dd87d1e63
Lowes, J.A.
eff6751b-62b6-4755-a92e-b1c6e03db3b6
Mullee, M.A.
fd3f91c3-5e95-4f56-8d73-260824eeb362
Rumsby, K.
2002ee8a-32ac-4119-869d-ed35164c3b51
Turner, D.
dbe8594a-d211-4efe-abec-46a6e0451623
Warner, G.
a7c8d450-67a4-46c9-ad1e-4a17d6816590

Leydon, Geraldine M., Turner, Sheila, Smith, Helen, Little, Paul, Moore, M.V., Arscott, A., Hawke, C., Lowes, J.A., Mullee, M.A., Rumsby, K., Turner, D. and Warner, G. , on behalf of the UTIS team (2009) The journey from self-care to GP care: a qualitative interview study of women presenting with symptoms of urinary tract infection. British Journal of General Practice, 59 (564), e219-e225. (doi:10.3399/bjgp09X453459). (PMID:19566988)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the commonest acute infections presenting to primary care. Little is known of women's experiences of UTI; self-care strategies and key triggers for their consulting behaviour are also little known.

Aim: to explore women's experiences of self-care and their journey to GP care, when faced with symptoms of a UTI.

Design of study: qualitative semi-structured interview study with women recruited to a larger UK trial of different management strategies for UTI.

Setting: general practices across four counties in southern England.

Method: twenty-one women were interviewed about the experiences they had prior to their GP visit, self-care strategies, and triggers for help seeking. Interviews were analysed thematically, using principles of analytic induction.

Results: women reported a process of evaluation, monitoring, re-evaluation, and, finally, consulting in order to meet their needs. Four key triggers for consulting were identified: failure to alleviate symptoms through self-care; symptom duration and escalation; impeding normal functioning and the fulfilment of social roles; and concern that it may be or become a serious illness.

Conclusion: although UTI is often self-limiting, when taking patient histories and formulating their management strategies clinicians need to take into account women's often painful experience, their efforts to resolve symptoms prior to consulting, and their fears that the symptoms may indicate something more serious than a UTI

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More information

Published date: July 2009
Additional Information: Michael Moore is part of the UTIS team
Keywords: antibiotics, consultation, urinary tract infection

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 143625
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/143625
ISSN: 0960-1643
PURE UUID: 4896f159-e54b-4b0e-acc9-4a3234dd5422
ORCID for Geraldine M. Leydon: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5986-3300
ORCID for Paul Little: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3664-1873
ORCID for M.V. Moore: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5127-4509
ORCID for K. Rumsby: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8573-3718

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 12 Apr 2010 13:31
Last modified: 11 Jul 2024 01:43

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Contributors

Author: Sheila Turner
Author: Helen Smith
Author: Paul Little ORCID iD
Author: M.V. Moore ORCID iD
Author: A. Arscott
Author: C. Hawke
Author: J.A. Lowes
Author: M.A. Mullee
Author: K. Rumsby ORCID iD
Author: D. Turner
Author: G. Warner
Corporate Author: on behalf of the UTIS team

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