Title : Identifying physical and emotional needs during the time of fertility stress
Abstract:
Infertility affects an estimated 10-15% of reproductive-age couples worldwide (Simionescu et al., 2021). Recent investigators show there are silences in fertility treatments. These silences are times when the patient does not feel comfortable enough to state out loud to the provider what they are feeling or truly looking for in their fertility care.Taffs et al., demonstrated that these silences can be experienced as a lack of communication on behalf of the providers and what that provider may not be willing to say aloud. For patients the silences are experienced as lack of support, and lack of confidence to express their needs (Taffs et al.,2023). The time of childbearing, while joyful for many, can also be a stress-filled time of maladaptive coping and anxiety, grief, and depression as a result of fertility-related issues. Couples undergoing fertility treatments receive answers that raise even more questions. Patients experience a cycle of uncertainty which can cause physical and emotional stress, which are often not addressed.Therefore, the overall purpose of this evidence-based quality improvement project (EBQI) is to help couples navigate their infertility journey with support from their provider to manage physical and emotional stress. The aims of the project are: (1) Describe fertility patients and their partners’stress and coping mechanisms, themes of importance, and experiences using survey tools (Brief-COPE and Tell Me Tool). (2) Develop a learning module to educate providers and evaluate knowledge, skills, and attitudes using a survey. The design of the project is the four steps of plan, do, study and act, which include an exploratory descriptive design. The data collection has been completed and data analysis is in process. This will accomplish the foundation for the development of a future education program intervention and will inform the providers about evidence-based guidelines and care management strategies.
