Urinary incontinence is a life‐altering condition that affects interpersonal and societal relationships and creates economic hardship for patients and the families who care for them[
1]. Although many treatment strategies exist for managing urinary incontinence after prostate treatment, many patients continue to live in social isolation and do not seek medical evaluation. However, in today's connected society, patients can interact in an online “virtual” environment through message boards, chat communities, and other online support groups. Fernandez and colleagues present a unique evaluation of these web‐based interactions to understand how patients communicate with each other about management options. Using a search‐based strategy, Fernandez et al.[
2] identified support forums focused on male incontinence. They then analyzed the captured data for themes related to personal experiences with managing incontinence after prostate cancer treatment. The group identified three major themes: shared management challenges, method‐specific management challenges, and factors influencing the choice of a management strategy. Thematic analysis, used to perform qualitative research, is unique in the field of urology. Few other medical fields have employed this approach to investigate patients' experiences with treatment side effects and complications management[
3]. By gathering information from online forums, the researchers amass unique, anonymous data that is unsolicited and represents actual patient experiences without the potential bias introduced through healthcare‐provider interaction. The impact of these qualitative analysis‐type studies is significant; the distilled information assists healthcare providers, including urologists and physician extenders, in improving their communication with patients and informing them upfront of the most significant side effects of treatment from a patient's perspective. Additionally, urologists can better describe to patients the challenges they may encounter when dealing with these side effects and provide strategies to overcome them. Effective communication is critical in setting patient expectations and improving quality of life after treatment.
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