Identifying the needs of adolescents following the Mitrofanoff procedure as a continent urinary diversion

Some children are unable to drain their bladders normally due to medical conditions since birth. This can lead to problems such as incontinence of urine and infections. 30 years ago surgeons created a way of draining the bladder using a channel from the skin to the bladder called a Mitrofanoff procedure. Whilst lifechanging this procedure requires dedication from the young person and their family to a strict routine. Compliance lessens during adolescence leading to serious complications. There is no research investigating why young people lose motivation to look after their bladder. We hypothesise that greater understanding of the experiences of young people having undergone a mitrofanoff procedure will allow us to understand difficulties with compliance, and therefore allow us to tailor support services and education to prevent long term complications from continent surgery.