From Dismissal to Partnership: Patient Experiences of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection Healthcare Informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework and Behaviour Change Theory.

People living with rUTI face structural and relational challenges in healthcare that compound illness burden. When individuals feel believed, involved, and supported, rUTI healthcare experiences are transformed. By integrating reflexive thematic analysis with behavioural theory, this study demonstrates that improving rUTI care requires attention to both system-level factors such as diagnostic flexibility, service continuity, and treatment options, alongside relational factors, particularly validation and shared decision-making. These findings provide a theoretically grounded foundation for intervention development, with broader relevance for chronic conditions characterised by diagnostic uncertainty.