ONLINE PHYSIOTHERAPY COURSE FOR WOMEN
At HCF we’re trialling The Pelvic Expert, an online physiotherapy-based program for women who have bladder control issues following childbirth.
Pelvic issues are common in women after birth, with research suggesting that around 75% suffer from back pain or bladder control problems1 after having a baby. Research published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health2 suggests that specialist physiotherapy can help solve bladder control issues in 84% of women.
If you accidentally leak when you cough, run, sneeze, laugh, lift or through any other physical activity, you may benefit from the trial.
WHAT IS IT?
The Pelvic Expert offers a 12 week online physiotherapy-based program, Mother Nurture that supports and treats women with pelvic issues such as incontinence and prolapse, as a result of childbirth.
Developed by a physiotherapist who specialises in women’s health, the course has a range of available resources including specialist physiotherapy exercises, videos, educational content and online support. And it’s all accessible from the privacy of your own home.
The Pelvic Expert was a startup in the 2017 HCF Catalyst program.
Developed by a physiotherapist who specialises in women’s health, the course has a range of available resources including specialist physiotherapy exercises, videos, educational content and online support. And it’s all accessible from the privacy of your own home.
The Pelvic Expert was a startup in the 2017 HCF Catalyst program.
THE TRIAL
We’re looking for 200 HCF members to take part in the 12 week Mother Nurture post-partum online program. If you’re selected, HCF will fund your participation.
The Pelvic Expert will ask you to complete a pre and post program questionnaire, which will assess your symptoms and measure the success of the trial.
These questionnaires will not be made available to HCF. HCF will send you a short questionnaire after you complete the trial to assess your satisfaction with the course.
The Pelvic Expert will ask you to complete a pre and post program questionnaire, which will assess your symptoms and measure the success of the trial.
These questionnaires will not be made available to HCF. HCF will send you a short questionnaire after you complete the trial to assess your satisfaction with the course.
ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?
You may be eligible to participate if you:
- have given birth (at any time in the past)
- hold a current hospital and/or extras health insurance policy with HCF
- are between 18 and 50 years of age, and
- are experiencing bladder control issues.
HOW TO APPLY
There are only 200 places available in the trial, which will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis for eligible participants. You can register for the trial by following this link to The Pelvic Expert website and completing the registration process.
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST
PROVIDING FEEDBACK
To assist in assessing the benefits of The Pelvic Expert program, HCF will email you a short survey on your experience after completing the course.
YOUR PRIVACY
Will HCF know that I’m participating in the trial?
Yes, we will know which HCF members are participating in the trial, as we will have to confirm each members’ eligibility to take part. However after that we’ll only receive de-identified and aggregated information from The Pelvic Expert. Participation in the trial and the outcomes from it will not affect your premiums in any way.
Will HCF have access to the health information that I provide to The Pelvic Expert?
The Pelvic Expert will not share any of your identifiable health information with HCF. The Pelvic Expert will assess the degree of improvement in bladder control of a number of participants and will share this, in aggregate, with HCF, for the purposes of assessing the success of the trial.
Will The Pelvic Expert be able to see my health insurance claims?
No. We will not share any details of hospital or extras claims with The Pelvic Expert.
Your information
Registration for the trial will be managed by The Pelvic Expert through their website. When you enter your details to register for the trial on The Pelvic Expert’s website you will have immediate access to the course for the first week. The Pelvic Expert will send your details (via a secure process) back to HCF to confirm your eligibility. If you are eligible you’ll be able to access the rest of the course.
The Pelvic Expert will collect, hold, use and disclose information for the purpose of the trial.
For more information about how The Pelvic Expert handles personal information, including how to access and correct personal information, make a complaint and how they’ll deal with such a complaint, please see their privacy policy.
For more information about how HCF handles personal information, including how to access and correct personal information, make a complaint and how HCF will deal with such a complaint, please see HCF's privacy policy.
1 Mannion, C et al. 2015, ‘The influence of back pain and urinary incontinence on daily tasks of mothers at 12 months postpartum’, PLOS One, vol. 6, no. 6. Available here: [25 October 2017].
2 Neumann, P et al. 2005 ‘The costs and benefits of physiotherapy as first-line treatment for female stress urinary incontinence’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 416-421.
