“Squeeze and Lift”: A Design Ethnography of Learning and Teaching Pelvic Floor Exercises

<p>Pelvic floor exercises are an important practice in the prevention and resolution of pelvic floor disorder. However, pelvic floor exercises are often not practiced regularly or correctly which puts women at high risk of experiencing pelvic floor disorder symptoms. These symptoms are debilitating in terms of physical and mental health, and when ignored can worsen over time. In particular, pregnant and postnatal women are at the most risk of this disorder and still do not practice the exercises as required. This study identifies the lack of correct and regular exercises being practiced as a complex social and cultural issue which is best explored with ethnographic design research. The use of semi structured interviews, narrative analysis and informational probes enabled an open ended exploration of pregnant and postnatal women‟s experiences with learning and practicing pelvic floor exercises. Health professionals experience with teaching pelvic floor exercises has also been explored and findings have shown that to assist regular and correct exercise there is a need for professional diagnosis and guidance, suitable to each women‟s health, lifestyle, and way of learning. Themes in the findings included; Safety and Professional Support, Teaching PFX with Metaphor, Integrating PFX into Daily Life and Device Concerns and Feedback. Design recommendations which correspond to each of these themes were formed. Discussion of these findings using background literature also gave crucial context to this study, underscoring overarching key themes of education and empowerment which future pelvic floor exercise designs should embrace. Finally, this study addresses the strengths and weaknesses of an ethnographic design research approach in informing the development of future designs and systems for healthcare, and opens spaces for future work.</p>

“Squeeze and Lift”: A Design Ethnography of Learning and Teaching Pelvic Floor Exercises

<p>Pelvic floor exercises are an important practice in the prevention and resolution of pelvic floor disorder. However, pelvic floor exercises are often not practiced regularly or correctly which puts women at high risk of experiencing pelvic floor disorder symptoms. These symptoms are debilitating in terms of physical and mental health, and when ignored can worsen over time. In particular, pregnant and postnatal women are at the most risk of this disorder and still do not practice the exercises as required. This study identifies the lack of correct and regular exercises being practiced as a complex social and cultural issue which is best explored with ethnographic design research. The use of semi structured interviews, narrative analysis and informational probes enabled an open ended exploration of pregnant and postnatal women‟s experiences with learning and practicing pelvic floor exercises. Health professionals experience with teaching pelvic floor exercises has also been explored and findings have shown that to assist regular and correct exercise there is a need for professional diagnosis and guidance, suitable to each women‟s health, lifestyle, and way of learning. Themes in the findings included; Safety and Professional Support, Teaching PFX with Metaphor, Integrating PFX into Daily Life and Device Concerns and Feedback. Design recommendations which correspond to each of these themes were formed. Discussion of these findings using background literature also gave crucial context to this study, underscoring overarching key themes of education and empowerment which future pelvic floor exercise designs should embrace. Finally, this study addresses the strengths and weaknesses of an ethnographic design research approach in informing the development of future designs and systems for healthcare, and opens spaces for future work.</p>