Effectiveness of electrical stimulation combined with pelvic floor muscle training on postpartum urinary incontinence

BACKGROUND: Previous clinical trials have reported that electrical stimulation (ES) combined with pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) can be used to treat postpartum urinary incontinence (PPUI) effectively. However, no systematic review has investigated the effectiveness and safety of ES plus PFMT for the treatment of patients with PPUI. In this systematic review, we will firstly assess the effectiveness and safety of ES and PFMT for treating PPUI. METHODS: In this study, we will search the following electronic databases: Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Springer, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from inceptions to the present without language restrictions. All eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of ES plus PFMT for PPUI will be included. We will also search grey literature to avoid missing any other potential qualified studies. Two authors will independently conduct the study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. A third author will be consulted to solve any disagreements between 2 authors. RevMan 5.3 Software will be used to pool the data and to carry out the meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study will provide high quality evidence of ES and PFMT for PPUI. The primary outcome includes symptoms improvement. The secondary outcomes consist of incontinence-specific quality of life, clinician's observations, and adverse effects. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study will summary up-to-dated evidence for judging whether ES combined PFMT is an effective intervention for PPUI or not. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study does not needs ethical approval, because it will not involve individual patient data. Its findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: CRD42019122540.