Survey: Lived Experiences of Chronic and Recurrent UTIs

This survey explores the lived experiences of patients with chronic and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), focusing on the journey to diagnosis and treatment, social and economic impacts, experiences with care, and hopes for the future.

Estimated time: ~30 minutes. You may save and return later.
Eligibility:
• Age ≥16
• Diagnosed with chronic or recurrent UTIs or experiencing persistent UTI symptoms
• English-speaking
• Open to international participants

Sign in to Google to save your progress. Learn more
Clear selection
Section 1: Demographics
1. Age *
2- Gender
Clear selection
3-Ethinicity *
4-  Please indicate your country of residence and the area where you live (e.g. city, town, or region) *
5. Education Level: *
6. Employment Status:

 *
7. Household income (approx.) (£): *

8. Do you receive financial support due to health condition? (Yes / No / Prefer not to say)

 

 *

Section 2: Personal UTI History

1.       Can you describe your journey from first symptoms to diagnosis? (Consider the time it took, the challenges you faced, and any delays in care)

 *
2- How long have you experienced recurrent UTIs?
3- Frequency of UTIs?


4- Which symptoms affect your life most?
Section 3: Social Impact

Likert Scale (Not at all → Slightly → Moderately → Severely → Prefer not to say)

1-     Has your relationship with family/friends changed? (e.g., strain on relationships, feeling misunderstood, distant, disconnected, needing more support, need for extra care) *
2-  Do you avoid social situations due to symptoms? (e.g., supported, neglected, distant, isolated, encouraged, misunderstood) Have you found yourself avoiding social situations due to your symptoms? (e.g., avoiding, missing out, embarrassed, uncomfortable, self-conscious, reluctant) *
3-  Do you feel left out or excluded because of your condition? ( e.g., excluded, isolated, left behind, part of the group, unwanted, neglected) *
4- Has your illness made it harder for you to communicate with others? (e.g., hard to talk, misunderstood, silence, communication barriers, expressing needs, frustration) *
5- Do you feel people understand what you’re going through? (e.g., empathy, misunderstood, ignored, recognized, supported, acknowledged) *
6- Has your condition affected intimacy or your relationship with your partner? (e.g., sexual intimacy, emotional closeness, changes, strain, physical limitations, emotional impact) *

7-  Do you find that your illness causes tension or arguments at home? (e.g., conflict, stress, disagreements, misunderstanding, support needed, frustration, emotional strain)

 *
8- Has your role within your family changed due to your condition (e.g., needing more care, reduced ability to support others, caregiver, dependency, less able, increased support, role shift, responsibility changes) *
9- Has your illness affected your ability to maintain friendships or professional relationships? (e.g., less socializing, job strain, distancing, lost connections, reduced interaction, isolating) *
10- Do you feel that colleagues or friends treat you differently because of your condition? (e.g., sympathy, avoidance, treatment, stigma, differently, understood, excluded)

11- Have you rUTIs impacted your mental health?

(e.g., stress, anxiety, depression, frustration, loss of confidence)

Section 4: Economic Impact, work and study impact
1- Monthly cost of managing UTI? *
2- Diagnostic tests done? (e.g., kidney scan, cystoscopy, CT scan, urine analysis, pelvic scan)

 *
3- Used private healthcare? Estimated cost  *

4.       Financial strain from medical expenses?

 *

5.       UTI impact on work/study?

 *

6-     Has your chronic UTI affected your ability to focus or be productive at work? 

 *
7- Has your chronic UTI impacted your chances of promotion at work or advance in your career? *

8-   Days off in past year? If known, what is the estimated cost to you (or your employer) of one working day missed?

 *
9- Applied for financial support? *
10- Does NHS/insurance cover your care? Describe gaps *
11- Lifestyle changes due to financial strain? *
12- Borrowed money/loans due to UTI costs? *

13- Have you had to make lifestyle changes due to financial strain from your chronic UTI (e.g., cutting down on leisure activities, travel, childcare, savings depletion)? 

14- Have you relied on family or friends for financial help due to your condition?
 *

15- Have you or your family members needed to take out loans or borrow money to cover medical expenses for UTI?

 *
Section 5: Care Journey
1- Your experience with your GP regarding rUTIs? (e.g., Dismissed, listened to, rushed, thorough, frustrating, supportive, ignored, repetitive antibiotics, delayed diagnosis, compassionate, unhelpful, referred, misunderstood)


 *
2- Were you referred to a specialist or tertiary unit for further assessment? (e.g., delayed, quick referral, had to request, denied referral, multiple GP visits before referral, specialist care, urologist, urogynecologist) *
3-  How long to get referral appointment? *

4.   Private care due to NHS delays? Why? (e.g., expensive, faster care, necessary, last resort, better treatment, more options, financially difficult, no choice, insurance coverage)

 *
5-  Challenges in accessing care?

·         (Check all that apply) 

Clear selection
Section 6: Future Hopes and Suggestions

1- Do you feel hopeful about finding long-term treatment? Why or why not? (e.g., hopeful, frustrated, ongoing struggle, no clear answers, trial and error, new treatments, lack of research, specialist care, antibiotic resistance, need for better options, better diagnosis, long journey)

2-  What improvements would you like in NHS care for recurrent UTI? (e.g., Faster referrals, more specialist clinics, better GP awareness, fewer antibiotic prescriptions, alternative treatments, long-term management plans, better diagnostics, access to urologists, holistic care, research funding, patient-centered approach, follow-ups, less dismissal of symptoms, continuity of care)

Submit
Clear form
Never submit passwords through Google Forms.
This content is neither created nor endorsed by Google. - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy

Does this form look suspicious? Report

Google Forms