Women & Infants Announces RI Network for Pelvic Floor Disorders
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
With the increasing aging population, it is projected by the US Census Bureau that by the year 2030, the population over age 65 will double to more than 70 million in the US alone, and more than one billion worldwide. It is estimated that approximately one-third of women will experience at least one disorder of the pelvic floor in her lifetime.
With this in mind, Women & Infants Hospital has teamed up with practitioners across the state to create the Rhode Island Network for Pelvic Floor Disorders at Women & Infants Hospital. The Network was created to provide state-of-the-art diagnosis and therapy for women with pelvic floor disorders through comprehensive clinical care and organizational oversight.
Aiming for better patient outcomes
“Improved patient outcomes are an expected result from a dedicated network,” said Deborah L. Myers, MD, director of the Network, director of Women & Infants’ Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery and the Program in Women’s Physical Therapy, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. “Currently there are measures estimating outcomes and patient satisfaction in other medical areas which endorse the concept of forming centers of excellence and consolidation of specialties of practice. This is exactly what our Network endeavors to do.”
The range of pelvic floor disorders
Pelvic floor disorders are an issue of growing importance, from both an individual and public health point of view. Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) include urinary incontinence (UI), fecal/anal incontinence (AI), and pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Other related symptoms and conditions which frequently accompany PFDs are sensory and emptying abnormalities of the lower urinary tract and bowel, pelvic and abdominal pain, musculoskeletal dysfunction of the pelvic muscles/ligaments, and constipation and diarrheal states.
In addition to pelvic floor disorders, gastrointestinal disorders are very common in women and exacerbate PFDs. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a multi-factorial gastrointestinal condition, and constipation, one of the most common gastrointestinal complaints, are often concurrent with PFDs.
Partners in the Rhode Island Network for Pelvic Floor Disorders at Women & Infants Hospital is a collaborative program between the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, the Center for Women’s Gastrointestinal Services, the Program in Women’s Physical Therapy, and Nutrition Services at Women & Infants Hospital; the Colorectal Care Center and the Division of Urology at Rhode Island Hospital; the Rhode Island Colorectal Clinic; and the Departments of Diagnostic Imaging at Rhode Island and Women & Infants hospitals.
