Hfitness Study 3: Hfitness vs In-person Rehabilitation in Men following Prostatectomy

Conclusions: Men using HFITNESS following prostate removal experience improvements in incontinence and quality of life that are similar to men undergoing in-person rehabilitation. These improvements are long-term, with improvements seen through 1-year follow-up. HFITNESS is an important option allowing men to achieve pelvic rehabilitation through an online program after prostate removal.

Background:  Many men suffer from long-term urine leakage after prostatectomy. Despite the proven benefit of in-person rehabilitation for urinary incontinence, numerous barriers impede access. We developed HFITNESS, a comprehensive online program that delivers comprehensive pelvic floor rehabilitation for men after prostatectomy.

Methods: We compared patients receiving in-person rehabilitation versus HFITNESS with minimum 12-month follow-up. Outcomes were assessed at 3 weeks, 3-, 6-, and 12 months following robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy using validated ICIQ-MLUTS and IIQ-7 questionnaires and additional items (daily pad use [PPD] and satisfaction).

Results: Analysis included 41 men. The rate of incontinence improvement was similar in both groups through 12-month follow-up (P = NS at all time points). The proportion of patients achieving complete absence of stress incontinence in patient using HFITNESS was 75%, (15/20). The proportion of patients achieving complete absence of stress incontinence in patients using in-person rehabilition was 60% (12/20). This difference was non-significant (P = .3). The number of protective pads used and quality of life were also similar at all time points.

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