P-503 Focus groups with health care professionals, patient advocates and patients to explore how the potential need for multiple cycles is managed during fertility treatment consultations

AbstractStudy questionHow is possibility of failure and potential need for multiple cycles discussed with patients during the first or repeat IVF/ICSI treatment consultation?Summary answerHealth Care Professionals plan treatment on a cycle-by-cycle basis because it is the normative way to plan treatment, but patients see advantages in multi-cycle planningWhat is known alreadyMany patients need more than one round of IVF/ICSI stimulation to achieve their parenthood goals. A recent study has found around 60% of patients to be willing to plan for multiple cycles of treatment. However, it is not clear how patients are informed fully about the high possibility of treatment failure and the subsequent need for multiple cycles during their treatment planning consultationsStudy design, size, durationQualitative focus groups with health care professionals (HCP) patient advocates (April 2020) and patients (July and August 2020, respectively). Patients were eligible if they had had a consultation to start a first/repeat stimulated IVF/ICSI cycle in the eight weeks prior to participation, were aged 18 or older (upper age limit of 42 years for women) and fluent in English. Eligible Health HCPs and patient advocates were those employed at a fertility clinic or charity, respectivelyParticipants/materials, setting, methodsHCP, patient advocate and patient focus group topic guides started with general questions about fertility consultations and progressed to discuss if and how the possibility ...
Source: Human Reproduction - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: research