Validation of an instrument to assess barriers to care-seeking for accidental bowel leakage in women: the BCABL questionnaire.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Fewer than 30% of women with accidental bowel leakage (ABL) seek care, despite the existence of effective, minimally invasive therapies. We developed and validated a condition-specific instrument to assess barriers to care-seeking for ABL in women.

Methods: Adult women with ABL completed an electronic survey about condition severity, patient activation, previous care-seeking, and demographics.

Barriers to seeking care for accidental bowel leakage: a qualitative study.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Fewer than 50 % of women with urinary incontinence (UI) and 30 % of women with accidental bowel leakage (ABL) seek care. We sought to describe barriers to care seeking for ABL to inform development of an instrument to measure these barriers.

Methods: We recruited women with ABL with varied prior care-seeking experiences to participate in focus groups and cognitive interviews so we could understand factors that may have prevented or delayed care seeking.