O-194 Insights from smartphone app based emotional tracking data on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on IVF patients

AbstractStudy questionIs the emotional experience of patients during IVF different since the start of the global Covid-19 pandemic?Summary answerTracking data since re-opening demonstrated patients lower positive challenge emotions but no significant change in harm, threat, or stress.What is known alreadyCovid-19 caused widespread shutdown of fertility centres, including in the UK, when the HFEA mandated closure from March until May 2020. Research shows clinic closure and an uncertain future were a significant psychological burden for patients anticipating treatment. However, emotional experiences before, during and after closure have not yet been compared, which is the aim of the study.Study design, size, durationRetrospective single-centre analysis of anonymised emotional tracking data entered by 707 patients using the MediEmo smartphone app alongside their IVF cycle, from May 2017-September 2020.MediEmo includes medication timeline/ notifications, coping tools and emotional tracking. Patients rate 2 questions daily in each emotion domain (challenge, threat, harm, e.g. ‘I am feeling tense’) on a 0-3 scale and indicate coping ability (‘I am unable to cope with the stress I am experiencing’) on a binary scale.Participants/materials, setting, methodsEgg donor, recipient and fertility preservation cycles were excluded. First, mood scores were analysed by 2020 month of entry to capture the emotional impact of closure. Second, “Pre-Covid” (May 2017-Feb 2020) and “Af...
Source: Human Reproduction - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: research