New report identifies top research priorities related to Female Pelvic Medicine, Reconstructive Surgery

A set of consensus recommendations identifying top research priorities related to female pelvic floor disorders is presented in the January/February issue of Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery, official journal of The American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS). The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

Last year, more than 150 Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgeons met at the first AUGS Research Summit to define opportunities and challenges that currently exist in the field and establish research priorities. The new report summarizes information presented at the Research Summit, comments from the audience, panelists' own content expertise; a post-Summit review; and review of recent research agendas proposed by other organizations.

Report Targets "Critically Important" Areas for Research
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery is a field that provides consultation and comprehensive management to women with complex pelvic conditions, lower urinary tract disorders, and pelvic floor dysfunction. Pelvic floor disorders represent a major public health concern in the United States. One-third of women suffer from one or more pelvic floor disorders, such as sexual health issues, incontinence and prolapse.

"An estimated 28.1 million American women currently suffer from at least one pelvic floor disorder, and that number will increase to 43.8 million by 2050," said AUGS President Deborah Myers, MD, FACOG. "Now, more than ever, there is an increased need for AUGS to step in and champion the effort to align research goals and priorities for Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery."

To address these and other growing concerns, the report identifies "research topics and directions that are critically important and immediately needed to advance the field of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery," including:

•Expanding research in pathophysiology and phenotyping of pelvic floor disorders.
•Developing a centralized tissue bank for pelvic floor disorder research.
•Prioritizing safety before efficacy in the introduction of new therapies.
•Designing comparative outcome studies that focus on effectiveness over efficacy and include samples that maximize external validity in real-world populations.
•Standardizing outcome measures.
•Studying health implementations and health behavior changes.
•Evaluating cost effectiveness of treatment methods.
•Promoting partnerships between clinician scientists and basic and translational scientists to maximize the bi-directional flow of research.