Table 2.

Details of the included randomized controlled trials

Reference	Study design/period/country	Participant characteristics, sample size (N), duration of symptoms	Interventions	Outcomes (measures) and time points; results; conclusion
Sjostrom et al., 2013 [19]	RCT/December 2009 to April 2011/ Sweden	Age = 18–70 years N = 250 Duration of symptoms = SUI ≥ 1 time/week Inclusion criteria = community-dwelling women with SUI at least once a week that matched with age. Ability to read and write Swedish and sccess to computer with internet connection Exclusion criteria = pregnancy, previous incontinence surgery, known malignancy in lower abdomen, difficulties passing urine, macroscopic hematuria, intermenstrual bleedings, severe psychiatric diagnosis, and neurological disease affecting sensibility in legs or lower abdomen Dropout rate = 32.4%	Internet-based group = information on SUI and associated lifestyle factors; PFMT; training reports (frequency, time spent). This group received asynchronous, individually tailored e-mail support from a urotherapist during the treatment period Postal group = information on SUI and associated lifestyle factors; PFMT; training reports (frequency, time spent). Participants in this group had no contact with the urotherapists Follow-up: 4 months via self-assessed postal questionnaires	Primary outcomes = International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF); International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life (ICIQ-LUTSQoL) Secondary outcomes = Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I); urinary incontinence aids; patient satisfaction; EuroQol 5D-Visual Analogue Scale (EQ5D-VAS); incontinence episode frequency (IEF) Results = intention-to-treat analysis showed high significance with both interventions, but there were no significant differences between groups in primary outcomes. 40.9% of internet group perceived they were much or very much improved; 59.5% reported reduced usage of incontinence aids; 84.8% were satisfied with the treatment program vs. 26.5%; 41.4% and 62.9%, respectively, of postal group Conclusion = Concerning primary outcomes, treatment effects were similar between groups whereas for secondary outcomes the internet-based treatment was more effective. Internet-based treatment for SUI is a new, promising treatment alternative
Sjostrom et al., 2015 [20]			Follow-up was performed after 1 and 2 years via self-assessed postal questionnaires There was no face-to-face contact with the participants at any time	Results = Within both treatment groups, there were highly significant improvements in the primary outcomes, ICIQ-UI SF and ICIQ-LUTSqol, after 1 and 2 years compared with the baseline. The difference between the groups was not significant after 1 year. After 2 years, significantly more participants in the internet group rated their leakage as much or very much improved than was the case in the postal group. Health-specific QoL did not improve significantly in any of the treatment groups after 1 year. However, after 2 years there was significant improvement within the internet group, but not within the postal group. The differences between the groups were not significant Conclusion = Non-face-to-face treatment of SUI with PFMT provides significant and clinically relevant improvements in symptoms and condition-specific QoL at 1 and 2 years after treatment
Sjostrom et al., 2015 [21]			Included all relevant costs accrued during the first year, regardless of who paid for them. Prices per unit were multiplied by the amount consumed and added up to a sum representing the total societal cost. All costs are given in euros at the 2010 mid-year level Follow-up = 1 year	Outcomes = incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER); International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF); International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life (ICIQ-LUTSQoL); quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Results = compared to the postal program, the extra cost per QALY for the internet-based program ranged from 200€ to 7253€, indicating greater QALY gains at similar or slightly higher costs. Compared to no treatment, the extra cost per QALY for the internet-based program ranged from 10,022€ to 38,921€, indicating greater QALY gains at higher, but probably acceptable costs Conclusion = an internet-based treatment for SUI is a new, cost-effective treatment alternative
Hui et al., 2006 [22]	RCT/not reported/China	Age = 60 years or over N = 58 Inclusion criteria = community-dwelling older women aged 60 years or over, with symptoms of urge or SUI, and with one or more incontinence episodes in a week Exclusion criteria = active urinary tract infection, a post-void residual volume by bladder ultrasound > 150 ml, third-degree uterine prolapse and those already receiving treatment for their urinary symptoms	Telemedicine continence group (TCP) = 8-week intervention period with one session per week by videoconferencing Continence service (CS) = 8-week intervention period with one session per week face to face At baseline, both groups were assessed face to face for pelvic floor muscle strength, instrumental biofeedback and verbal feedback by vaginal palpation. During the intervention period, all components of behavioral training given to either intervention group were identical, with one exception in the TCP group, where it was not possible for the nurse specialist to give feedback on pelvic floor contraction during follow-up, as digital assessment could not be performed	Outcomes = perception of the severity of incontinence symptoms and level of satisfaction (0 = none, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe); 3-day voiding diary (number of incontinent episodes, voiding frequency and voided volume); pelvic floor muscle strength by digital assessment [Oxford Scale (0 = none, 1 = flicker, 2 = weak, 3 = moderate, 4 = good, 5 = strong)]; satisfaction with the TCP on a 6-point Likert scale (0 = highly dissatisfied to 5 = highly satisfied). Results = participants in both treatment groups experienced significant improvement in their symptoms with a reduction in the number of daily incontinence episodes and voiding frequency, while the volume of urine at each micturition increased. Pelvic floor muscle strength also improved. There were no significant differences in outcomes between the two groups Conclusion = results suggested that videoconferencing is as effective as conventional methods in the management of urinary incontinence

PFMT pelvic floor muscle training, SUI stress urinary incontinence, ICIQ-UI SF International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form, ICIQ-LUTSqol International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life, PGI-I Patient Global Impression of Improvement, EQ5D-VAS EuroQol 5D-Visual Analogue Scale, IEF incontinence episode frequency, ICER incremental cost effectiveness ratio, QALYs quality-adjusted life-years, TCP telemedicine continence group, CS continence service