PROGRAMMING FOR WOMEN WITH OBSTETRIC FISTULA-INDUCED INCONTINENCE IN GHANA

Obstetric fistula is a birth-related injury that results in incontinence which refers to involuntary discharge of feces and/or urine through the vagina. Incontinence is associated with urine or fecal odor. Women with incontinence have limited opportunities to keep clean particularly in settings where water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services are notably scarce.

However, the WASH needs of these women have not been granted the requisite scholarly attention, globally. The existing knowledge gap is largely hampering efforts to design programs to support women with incontinence resulting from obstetric fistula to meet their WASH needs.

The study investigated the lived experiences of women with obstetric fistula-induced incontinence, how they meet their WASH needs, the barriers they encounter, existing and new interventions to improve their WASH experience.