Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40481384›Full record

ArticleJournal of general internal medicine2025

A Qualitative Assessment of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Experiences for Women Veterans in VHA Care.

Ashley C Mog, Jessica P Young, Jordan H Mamkhezri, Caroline Merkel, Kristen E Gray

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of general internal medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ashley C MogSeattle-Denver Center of Innovation (COIN) for Value-Driven and Veteran-Centered Care, VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, WA, USA. ashley.mog@va.gov.ORCID 0000-0001-7622-3217
Jessica P YoungSeattle-Denver Center of Innovation (COIN) for Value-Driven and Veteran-Centered Care, VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, WA, USA.
Jordan H MamkhezriVA El Paso Healthcare System, El Paso, TX, USA.
Caroline MerkelSeattle-Denver Center of Innovation (COIN) for Value-Driven and Veteran-Centered Care, VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, WA, USA.
Kristen E GraySeattle-Denver Center of Innovation (COIN) for Value-Driven and Veteran-Centered Care, VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, WA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNearly 25% of women experience pelvic floor disorders, for which pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) is a first-line treatment. Within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), only one-third of health care systems offer PFPT on site. Alternatives include receiving care from providers in the community ("Community Care") or from VHA providers at a distant site via telehealth ("Clinical Resource Hub"). Little is known about Veterans' experiences with these two PFPT care pathways.

objectiveTo characterize women Veterans' experiences with PFPT, including factors affecting access to and receipt of care.

designUsing VHA data, we recruited and conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with women Veterans who had received PFPT services within the last 6 months.

participantsWe recruited N = 20 women Veterans from five VHA health care systems. Participants from four health care systems went through the Community Care pathway (N = 12), while participants from the fifth went through the Clinical Resource Hub (N = 8). APPROACH: We recorded and auto-transcribed semi-structured interviews. Using structured interview summaries, we completed a two-step analysis process, first using rapid, team-based matrix analysis, followed by thematic analysis. We identified key themes and domains into which we organized those themes. KEY

resultsWe identified themes in three domains: barriers getting care, experiences of care, and barriers extending care. Veterans described barriers to receiving care initially, including a lack of knowledge, stigma, providers dismissing concerns, and referral challenges. Participants were generally satisfied with their care and experienced quality of life improvements. Most desired some in-person care. Patients wanting more care after completing initially approved visits faced additional administrative barriers, leading to symptom recurrence.

conclusionsFindings about patient access barriers suggest provider training and education (including awareness of PFPT's clinical benefits, referral pathways, and trauma-informed care), patient education, hybrid care modalities, expansion of the PFPT provider workforce, and streamlining referrals may improve access to PFPT among Veterans.

Indexed as

Pelvic Floor DisordersPhysical Therapy ModalitiesVeteransAdultAgedFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansMiddle AgedPelvic FloorQualitative ResearchUnited StatesUnited States Department of Veterans Affairsgenderhealth systems researchpelvic floor physical therapyVA careveteranswomen’s health

Identifiers

PMID40481384
PMCPMC12405234

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.