Patient Characteristics and Functioning of the Center of Expertise for Midurethral Slings of the CHUM
Investigators: Chantale Dumoulin, PhD; Marie Pierre Cyr, PhD; Daniel Liberman, MD; and Barbara Reichetzer, MD
Collaborators: Marjorie Falardeau, PT; and Yung Chun, RN
Funding organization: Researcher’s funds
Background: Midurethral slings (MUS) are the gold standard treatment for stress urinary incontinence but may lead to serious complications such as erosions and chronic pain, significantly impairing quality of life. In response to this issue, the CHUM was designated as a Center of Expertise in 2021. Despite this structure, Quebec specific data on care organization, wait times, and the complex profiles of referred patients remain scarce.
Objectives: 1- Describe the operational functioning and performance of the Center of Expertise including wait times and geographic referral patterns; 2- Characterize the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of patients at the time of admission; 3- Explore factors associated with the occurrence of initial complications and those influencing the surgical decision to perform sling removal either partial or complete or to leave the sling in place.
Study design and methodology: This is a mixed methods retrospective study combining a descriptive administrative component and a cohort component based on medical chart review.
Population: All patients admitted to the CHUM Center of Expertise between 2021 and December 2025 (N ≈ 300).
Data collection: Medical chart extraction using a standardized data collection form including surgical history, diagnostic investigations such as cystoscopy and ultrasound, validated symptom questionnaires, and care pathway indicators including time intervals between referral and interventions.
Analysis: Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize patient characteristics and center functioning. Bivariate and multivariate analyses will be conducted to identify factors associated with types of complications and corrective surgical decisions.
Expected impact: This project will establish the first robust database on midurethral sling Centers of Expertise in Quebec. It will support optimization of multidisciplinary care algorithms, enable personalization of interventions based on patient risk profiles, and provide evidence to inform public health policies aimed at improving the safety of urogynecological implants. Ultimately, the findings will facilitate the development of longitudinal studies examining long term recovery trajectories in this patient population.