Psychosocial Questionnaire-PIADS
Development and validation of a questionnaire to measure the psychosocial impact of assistive technologies for continence in elderly individuals
Professor Jeff Jutai
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Canada
Dr Kenneth Southall
Early Researcher / New Career Scientist
Institut de recherche Élisabeth-Bruyère Research Institute
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Continence problems cause embarrassment and distress to the sufferer because of what they signify to the older person - loss of control, social stigma and encroaching dependency, all of which threaten self-esteem and self-identity. This three-year project will supplement the work of a New Dynamics of Ageing Phase 2 CRP - Full Phase entitled, "Tackling Ageing Continence through Theory, Tools and Technology TACT3".
It will develop and validate a questionnaire to measure the impact of continence technologies on the quality of life of elderly individuals. It will investigate how a well researched instrument, co-authored by the applicant, the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS), can be adapted specifically for measuring the impact of continence devices. We will review and synthesize the literature on psychosocial factors associated with continence and incontinence. Interviews and focus groups will be conducted with elderly individuals who have continence problems, their caregivers, and health care professionals who are knowledgeable and experience in this area.
The research synthesis, interviews and focus groups will help determine how well the PIADS seems to capture important areas for impact of continence technologies and what modifications and enhancements might be needed. A modified version of the PIADS, for continence aids, called the C-PIADS will be pretested with samples of elderly device users and their caregivers to help assure that the questions and response formats are understandable and acceptable to the population of intended respondents. We will then examine the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the new instrument.
Finally, the validity of the C-PIADS will be examined in a study proposed for the NDA parent project, to evaluate two assistive devices (odour sensor and wetness sensing smart underwear) that have been requested by continence pad users themselves.
Progress to date:
Dr Kenneth Southall visited the UK in September 2011 and met up with Dr Nikki Cotterill and research nurses at the Bristol Urological Institute who are currently conducting a clinical trial on C-PIADS. Kenny also gave a seminar at Brunel University about the findings of his PhD research on the impact of hearing loss stigma. Kenny talked about how stigma might prevent people from seeking help for hearing loss and he also explored different factors that might lead individuals to conceal or disclose hearing loss in the workplace. The key findings of this research will be applied to rehabilitative practices.
To download the presentation slides go to:
http://people.brunel.ac.uk/~tact3/Objects/southall_brunel%203.pdf
To learn more about PIADS, go to:
http://www.piads.net/9/index1.2.html
