Training & Support for Fertility Clinics & Staff

Aim

  • Improve the Psycho-social and emotional experience of care for patients before, during and after treatment. 

  • Reduce emotional burden of Infertility treatments

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BENEFITS TO CLINICS AND PATIENTS

MANAGING PATIENTS'

EMOTIONAL NEEDS

Infertility and treatment can be extremely emotionally difficult. Yet, many clinics fail to address patients’ emotional needs within their treatment pathway .

 

A lack of patient-centered care has been one of patients’ main non-medical reasons for changing fertility clinics [1]

STANDARD FOR HOLISTIC PATIENT

SUPPORT

The International standard for  patient support policy for fertility clinics includes counselling and other psych-socio-emotional support pre, during and post treatment cycles - which  helps fertility professionals reduce patients' physical and emotional burden [2]

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Regulatory bodies in UK and US have acknowledged its important and included counselling as well as psycho-social support by all staff a recommended intervention in their codes of practice for Infertility clinics [5]

[1] Van Empel IW, Dancet EA, Koolman XxH, Nelen WL, Stolk EA, Sermeus W, D’Hooghe TM, Kremer JA. Physicians underestimate the importance of patient-centredness to patients. Hum Reprod 2011;26:584–93

[2] Pook and Krause, 2005; Cousinaeau and Domar, 2007; Peterson et al., 2007; Verhaak aet al., 2007; Malik and Coulsonm 2008; Peterso aet al., 2009; Johansson et al., 2010

[3] E.A.F. Dancet , I.W.H. Van Empel , P. Rober, W.L.D.M. Nelen , J.A.M. Kremer, and T.M. D’Hooghe. Patient-centred infertility care. Hum Reprod (2011) 26

[4] Van den Broeck U, Holvoet L, Enzlin P, Bakelants E, Demyttenaere K, D’Hooghe T. Reasons for dropout in infertility treatment

[5] Read more about Patient support recommendations from Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority's at https://www.hfea.gov.uk/media/2561/2018-03-15-supporting-patients.pdf

PATIENT

SATISFACTION

Despite the advancement of current  Assisted Reproduction Technology many infertile couples are not able to complete their family [3].

 

Hence, process indicators, such as patient-centredness, are very important in addition to outcome indicators for patients’ satisfaction. Satisfied patients are more likely to recommend the clinic to other patients

CONTINUATION

OF TREATMENT

One of the main reasons people do not comply with continuation of treatment after one or more failed cycles is the psychological and physical burden of treatment. 

 

Patients who voluntarily dropped out of treatment have reported the high impact of the psychological burden (72%) and lack of staff empathy (32%) as their reasons for leaving clinic [4]

Clinic Staff Training Package 

For all relevant fertility clinic doctors & staff

Train all relevant staff at fertility clinics on routine psychosocial care based on evidence-based and good practice recommendations. Training will be based on HFEA’s Patient Support Policy.

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Human Fertility and Embryology Association (HFEA), is the governing and regulatory body for fertility clinics in the UK. In its code of practice, it has created a Patient Support Policy for what adequate patient care in fertility clinics looks like

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I work with clinics to:

  • Develop and run a skill-building, group-support, research based program to deliver psychosocial care to infertility patients

  • Provide theoretical and practical training for staff on patient-centered care human factors like attitude of and relationship with staff, Patient Communication, and Patient involvement

  • Create Support Groups for patient support

  • Create Support Circle for staff support

 

In addition, I will train staff to:

  • Make changes in the clinic through the patient journey to be more emotionally in tune with patients’ needs

  • Helps patients manage their emotional needs, especially following adverse events and/or unsuccessful outcomes

  • Learn to deliver bad news to patients

  • Provide Coaching skills to team members so they are able to support each other

Providing Counselling and Coaching services for patients

I can help provide counselling support to patients going through infertility working as a consultant to the clinic. This can be based on the patient load the clinic has.

 

Going through infertility and its treatments can feel deeply isolating and like an uphill climb. According to research, stress levels in women coping with infertility are as high as stress experienced when dealing with a life threatening disease.​

Having someone on your team with empathy, expertise, experience -  professional and personal can help, as nurses and clinicians do not have the expertise as well as time to support patients as patients are burdened with the psychological and emotional impacts of treatment.

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Working with me, patients will have continued support before, during and after treatment. I will help:

  • Preparing patients psychologically as they start a cycle

  • Giving tools for each phase of the cycle: Stimulation / Egg retrieval / Embryo transfer / 2 week wait / Pregnancy result

  • Ongoing support once pregnant

  • Improving relationships and helping them gain the 'right' support from family,  friends, and their partner.

  • Manage stress and anxiety

  • Teach relaxation techniques they can use throughout the treatment cycle

  • Strengthen their marriage and teach them tools to stay connected, deal with conflicts and build resilience

  • Process and cope with grief and loss

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Contact me to learn more