An evaluation of the MUTU® System within existing maternity pathways has demonstrated powerful insights into its efficacy and value in addressing post-partum pelvic health symptoms.
Pelvic health is underserved both in terms of NHS support for patients and in terms of research, as is the case with many aspects of women’s health. Over one-third of women experience long-term postpartum conditions which impact their well-being and quality of life, though many do not seek help. In addition, many women do not seek medical help for postpartum issues due to embarrassment, cultural barriers or lack of time juggling childcare and other commitments.
MUTU System is an online programme incorporating pelvic floor exercise videos, education and community. It has emerged as a transformative solution for women’s health, particularly in managing conditions such as pelvic organ prolapse (POP), urinary incontinence (UI), and dyspareunia (painful sex). MUTU can be used in the privacy of the home and has videos showing women from different backgrounds, so helps address some of the barriers to access that exist in the current pelvic health pathway.
Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (Health Innovation KSS) commissioned our evaluation partners, Unity Insights, to look at the real-world implementation of MUTU within the NHS. Through surveys conducted among post-partum patients attending specialist physiotherapy appointments, or seeing a GP, alongside a self-pay cohort, statistically significant improvements in pelvic health symptoms were observed, reinforcing its impact on patient outcomes. The evaluation found that MUTU System led to a marked reduction in POP, UI, and dyspareunia within the self-pay cohort, with similar improvements observed among NHS physiotherapy patients.
Patient feedback showed that 100% of NHS GP practice patients reported increased confidence in locating their pelvic floor muscles and identifying normal symptoms, with 67% knowing when to seek medical advice. MUTU System also helps to increase patient knowledge of pelvic health and patients could be more likely to have meaningful conversations with NHS staff due to the shared level of knowledge between patient and staff member, resulting in timely treatment suitable for the patient. MUTU is also likely to have resulted in an increase in quality of life due to improving pelvic health symptoms, as the link between pelvic floor muscle training and improvements in quality of life has been validated through research (Curillo-Aguirre, C. A., & Gea-Izquierdo, E. 2023). 91% of NHS physiotherapy patients and 66% of NHS GP practice patients would recommend MUTU System to others.
Jenny Partridge, Innovation Manager at Health Innovation KSS, said: “This evaluation has shown the significant gap in understanding and metrics of how pelvic health impacts on women’s day to day lives. A simple intervention, such as MUTU System, can make a big difference, and because it can be easily accessed in private, it encourages use from across our community.”
Staff surveys highlighted the suitability of integrating MUTU® System referral pathways within GP settings, aligning with typical routes for physiotherapy referrals. Sarah Leng, Transformation and Digital Lead at Medway South PCN, said: “GPs saw the benefit of offering MUTU to patients to help address pelvic health symptoms, in particular the opportunity of early intervention to prevent symptoms getting worse and impacting on day-to-day life.”
Dr Alexander Streeter de Diego, GP Partner at Farnham Dene Medical Practice, said: “We found Mutu easy to offer to patients/ new Mums through a simple text message, enabling those who were suffering from pelvic health issues to quickly access tailored exercise programmes and information for their needs. This helps prevent longer term issues which are harder to treat.”
Cost-benefit analysis revealed a positive Net Present Value when factoring in Quality-Adjusted Life Years, indicating a potential return on investment over a five-year period within the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System. The programme could, therefore, be utilized to achieve the goal of providing support for women when recovering from birth through improving access to postpartum physiotherapy, as laid out in the NHS Long Term Plan (NHS England, 2023).
Digital solutions like the MUTU® System have a key role to play in supporting the NHS to address the workforce and capacity challenges, improve productivity, increase access and accessibility, and reduce perinatal health inequalities.
For more information get in touch with our Innovation Manager, Jenny Partridge: jennypartridge@nhs.net.
