A review of the role of social determinants of health in urinary incontinence in women: why does this matter to the urologist?

Urinary incontinence (UI) causes significant impact on all aspects of quality of life: physical, psychological, social and financial. Assessment and management of UI is almost exclusively based on the biomedical model, on the premise that incontinence cause and management are only related to biological conditions. However, it is becoming evident that there are psychological and social factors which have a significant influence. This paper explores the extent to which the evidence looking at social determinants of health in relation to women with urinary incontinence. To put it very simplistically, are women more likely to be wet because they are poor and what does this mean for the clinical urologist?

Level of evidence: Level 3 and 4