Dr. Hampson on the need for more qualitative research in urology

In this video, Nathan M. Shaw, MD, and Lindsay A. Hampson, MD, MAS, share some final thoughts regarding the Neurourology and Urodynamics study, “How older men live with stress urinary incontinence: Patient experience and navigation to treatment.” Shaw is an assistant professor of urology and an assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC. Hampson is an associate professor of urology associate chair of education and Residency Program Director at the University of California, San Francisco.

Transcription:

Is there anything you would like to add?

Shaw: The only thing that I would add in this space is, as we talk about asking about incontinence, is particularly the intersection of incontinence and sex, because many...men [who are survivors of prostate cancer] have both issues with erections and incontinence. One of the sexual limiting factors is that even if they are able to achieve an adequate erection, many of these men will leak either during sex or at the time of orgasm, which is a huge negative for many men from a sexual function standpoint. So I think, particularly that nexus in my mind of asking patients, not only about their leakage and their erections, but getting a little bit uncomfortable potentially with the patient, asking them about leakage during sex, leakage with orgasm, and where they are from a sexual function standpoint, is a really important prostate cancer survivorship question in my mind.

Hampson: I agree with that. I think the only other thing I would say is a plug for qualitative research. Qualitative research is challenging, it's time intensive. There's not a lot of people who have a lot of experience with it. And so I think often it's much easier to pivot and do more quantitative and outcomes-based research. But there is a real importance for qualitative research and understanding the patient's experience and voice whether it's incontinence or any other condition. And so I would just encourage people to say that when they're studying questions in whatever field, going to the patient, hearing the patient voice, hearing the patient journey is so important, and there's no other way to get data such as these. I think probably our field as a whole needs to expand in this area and try to promote qualitative research and promote others doing qualitative research to really help guide our research questions so that they're truly patient centered.

This transcription was edited for clarity.