Southern medical journal
September 3, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Care Experience Disparities in Individuals With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: Systematic Review and Content Analysis.
Duggan S, Mosher J, Boxerman S, +5 more, Mou T.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
A systematic review found that patients with limited English proficiency, older age, low socioeconomic status, and racially minoritized backgrounds consistently report worse care experiences for lower urinary tract symptoms, particularly around clinician communication and access to care.
What was studied
A systematic review and content analysis (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central, Scopus, 1995-2024) of 11 studies examining lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) care experiences, categorized using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) patient experience framework, to identify disparities and knowledge gaps.
Key findings
- Of 4,597 articles reviewed, 11 studies met inclusion criteria; urinary incontinence was the most studied LUTS (10/11 studies, 91%).
- Among 6 comparative studies, most (4/6, 66.7%) found worse care experience in patients with limited English proficiency and low socioeconomic status.
- Communication with clinicians and access to care were the most frequently evaluated AHRQ domains (each 8/11 studies, 73%); language barriers and symptom minimization by clinicians were common communication issues, while healthcare cost concerns (5/11, 45%) and fear/embarrassment about accessing care (4/11, 36%) were common access barriers, especially among racially minoritized groups.
Clinical relevance
This may be relevant to urology and primary care clinicians managing LUTS, highlighting specific, addressable disparities in communication (language barriers, symptom minimization) and access (cost concerns, embarrassment) that disproportionately affect vulnerable patient groups.
Who should care
Limitations
Only 11 studies met inclusion criteria out of nearly 4,600 screened, indicating a limited evidence base on LUTS care experience disparities; the authors explicitly identify this as a field with critical knowledge gaps requiring further research.
Patients with limited English proficiency, older age, lower socioeconomic status, and racially minoritized backgrounds experience worse communication and access barriers when seeking care for lower urinary tract symptoms, highlighting a need for targeted equity interventions.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Objectives
In this study, we aimed to characterize the landscape of the literature and describe lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) care experiences using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ's) patient experience framework, describe the characteristics of the studies, and identify critical knowledge gaps.
Methods
We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scopus of peer-reviewed publications from 1995 to 2024. The search terms were related to LUTSs, drivers of healthcare inequities, and the domains of the AHRQ. We then performed a content analysis of the included studies.
Results
Of the 4597 articles reviewed, we included 11 studies in the analysis. The most studied LUTS was urinary incontinence (10/11, 91%). Of the included studies, six were comparative, and most (4/6, 66.7%) found worse care experience in patients with limited English proficiency and low socioeconomic status. When examining the studies using the care experience framework of the AHRQ, the most frequently evaluated domains of care experience were communication with clinicians (8/11, 73%) and access to care (8/11, 73%). For communication with clinicians, language barriers (3/11, 27%) and symptom minimization by clinicians (3/11, 27%) were common, especially among patients with limited English proficiency and of older age, respectively. In regard to access to care, concerns about healthcare costs (5/11, 45%) and patients' fear or embarrassment about accessing LUTS care (4/11, 36%) were commonly occurring themes, especially among racially minoritized groups.
Conclusions
The findings of this systematic review demonstrated that patients with limited English proficiency, older age, low socioeconomic status, and racially minoritized backgrounds have poor LUTS care experiences.
DOI
10.14423/smj.0000000000002013
PMID
42696546
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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