Military Women's Urinary Complications in Deployment Settings
Military Women's Urinary Complications in Deployment Settings
It is now 15 years since the previous two studies were conducted, and deployed military women continue to struggle with urination difficulties, and minimal self-care measures are available. The FUDD is widely used in civilian female populations when in austere environments, such as when camping, but remains widely unused in military female populations. Al though both earlier FUDD studies (Hawley-Bowland, 1995; Mitcha et al., 1995) provided support for the device to facilitate urination and prevent urinary symptoms and UTIs, further research is needed to demonstrate usefulness of the device to effect policy change so all deploying military women receive a FUDD.
In a current report (IOM, 2010), the Committee for the Initial Assessment of Re adjustment Needs of Military Personnel recommended that further research be conducted "that would aim to improve understanding of the scope of the consequences of OEF and OIF and that would offer solutions to remediate those needs" (p. 162). In response, military nurse researchers are implementing studies to provide a self-care measure for female urination in the deployment environment. An innovative study that included the FUDD as part of an education program on feminine hygiene and self-care practices to promote military women's GU health during deployment was conducted by Trego and colleagues (2010). Unfortunately, due to a very low response rate and attrition, the FUDD results were inconclusive. As a result, a FUDD feasibility study, funded by the Military's TriService Nursing Research Program, is currently being implemented with military women deploying to austere environments in Afghanistan (Steele, 2011). Prior to designing this study, nurses were queried about current urination practices of deployed military women and their awareness and/or use of the FUDD. The communications are provided in Table 1; names have been withheld to protect respondents' confidentiality (N. Steele, personal communication, OEF, 2009–2010 Afghanistan).
Another study (Trego, 2012), also funded by the TriService Nursing Research Program, involves the implementation of a nurse-directed Women's Deployed Health Promotion Program (WDHPP) in a massive military unit at Fort Bragg, North Caroli na. This research is designed to fill an identified gap regarding pre-deployment education on women's health and hygiene (Christopher & Miller, 2007; Nielson et al., 2009; Thomson & Nielsen, 2006; Trego, 2007; Wright et al., 2006). The education program is based on the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Efficacy/effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) and will include the FUDD as well as other self-help measures to address eminent GU issues (RE-AIM, 2010).
Current Research
It is now 15 years since the previous two studies were conducted, and deployed military women continue to struggle with urination difficulties, and minimal self-care measures are available. The FUDD is widely used in civilian female populations when in austere environments, such as when camping, but remains widely unused in military female populations. Al though both earlier FUDD studies (Hawley-Bowland, 1995; Mitcha et al., 1995) provided support for the device to facilitate urination and prevent urinary symptoms and UTIs, further research is needed to demonstrate usefulness of the device to effect policy change so all deploying military women receive a FUDD.
In a current report (IOM, 2010), the Committee for the Initial Assessment of Re adjustment Needs of Military Personnel recommended that further research be conducted "that would aim to improve understanding of the scope of the consequences of OEF and OIF and that would offer solutions to remediate those needs" (p. 162). In response, military nurse researchers are implementing studies to provide a self-care measure for female urination in the deployment environment. An innovative study that included the FUDD as part of an education program on feminine hygiene and self-care practices to promote military women's GU health during deployment was conducted by Trego and colleagues (2010). Unfortunately, due to a very low response rate and attrition, the FUDD results were inconclusive. As a result, a FUDD feasibility study, funded by the Military's TriService Nursing Research Program, is currently being implemented with military women deploying to austere environments in Afghanistan (Steele, 2011). Prior to designing this study, nurses were queried about current urination practices of deployed military women and their awareness and/or use of the FUDD. The communications are provided in Table 1; names have been withheld to protect respondents' confidentiality (N. Steele, personal communication, OEF, 2009–2010 Afghanistan).
Another study (Trego, 2012), also funded by the TriService Nursing Research Program, involves the implementation of a nurse-directed Women's Deployed Health Promotion Program (WDHPP) in a massive military unit at Fort Bragg, North Caroli na. This research is designed to fill an identified gap regarding pre-deployment education on women's health and hygiene (Christopher & Miller, 2007; Nielson et al., 2009; Thomson & Nielsen, 2006; Trego, 2007; Wright et al., 2006). The education program is based on the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Efficacy/effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) and will include the FUDD as well as other self-help measures to address eminent GU issues (RE-AIM, 2010).
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