Overactive Bladder and Incontinence: Patient Education Strategies
Presented by Heather Rader
This course provides healthcare professionals with the foundational knowledge and clinical tools necessary to address the high prevalence of overactive bladder (OAB) and urinary incontinence (UI) across various patient populations. Despite being common conditions that significantly impact quality of life, these symptoms are often underrecognized and undertreated by many general practitioners due to a lack of specialized training in pelvic health. To bridge this clinical gap, the curriculum focuses on identifying the four diagnostic characteristics of OAB and differentiating between five distinct types of urinary incontinence: urge, stress, functional, overflow, and postvoid dribble. Participants will explore evidence-based patient education strategies and lumbopelvic–hip exercise progressions designed to improve bladder health and patient outcomes. This training is specifically tailored for a multidisciplinary audience, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, athletic trainers, nurses, and social workers. The strategies presented are applicable across a wide range of clinical settings, from acute care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to home health and private practice.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify the four diagnostic characteristics of overactive bladder syndrome
- Differentiate the diagnostic symptoms of five types of urinary incontinence: urge, stress, functional, overflow, and postvoid dribble
- List six patient education strategies for overactive bladder syndrome and urinary incontinence
Meet your instructor
Heather Rader
Dr. Heather Rader is the owner of Rader Pelvic Physical Therapy, a practice devoted to the treatment of pregnancy-related pain and dysfunction, incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and complex pelvic pain in all genders. A physical therapist since 1994, she graduated from the University of Miami with a master’s degree in…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Overactive Bladder Symptoms
This chapter establishes a baseline for normal urinary function before detailing the specific symptoms of frequency, urgency, nocturia, and leakage that characterize overactive bladder syndrome. Understanding these diagnostic indicators is essential for clinicians to accurately identify the condition and distinguish it from normal bladder storage and emptying processes.
2. Types of Urinary Incontinence
Learners will examine the distinct diagnostic symptoms associated with urge, stress, functional, overflow, and postvoid dribble incontinence. Differentiating among these types of leakage is a critical clinical skill that allows practitioners to provide more targeted interventions and appropriate patient education.
3. Patient Education for Better Bladder Health
This chapter introduces six practical patient education strategies, such as bladder retraining, minimizing irritants, and learning to manage urgency sensations. Equipping patients with these self-paced behavioral tools is a vital component of a comprehensive treatment plan to improve bladder health and restore patient autonomy.
More courses in this series
Bladder and Bowel Function: What’s Normal?
Heather Rader
Overactive Bladder and Incontinence: Patient Education Strategies
Heather Rader
Constipation and Fecal Incontinence: Patient Education Strategies
Heather Rader
Kegel Exercises and the Underactive Pelvic Floor
Heather Rader
Pelvic Pain and the Overactive Pelvic Floor
Heather Rader
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