Educating Registered Nurses on Implementation of Fertility Preservation Methods for Newly Diagnosed Pediatric Oncology Patients

Abstract

Background: Pediatric cancer patients are at high risk for experiencing infertility as a side effect of their cancer treatment. Risk factors include type of cancer, stage of cancer, age at diagnosis and during treatment as well as the treatment protocol used. Evidence has shown that reproductive capacity influences quality of life of patients during survivorship. Purpose: An educational intervention was developed to augment registered nurses’ knowledge and comfort discussing fertility risks associated with cancer treatment as well as preservation methods available to pediatric patients. Registered nurses are well positioned to provide fertility education to patients as they have many interactions with patients prior to treatment initiation. Nurses also understand treatment plans prescribed by providers, respect patient privacy, advocate and are experienced in communicating in age appropriate counseling. Method: A pre-experimental, one group, pre-test/post-test design methodology was used to compare healthcare workers’ awareness of how fertility influences survivorship, awareness of existing fertility preservation methods, and comfort discussing fertility risks associated with cancer treatment and preservation methods available for newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients prior to and following an educational intervention. Twenty-two registered nurses were recruited at a local hospital. Results: The intervention demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in knowledge (p-value of <0.0001) and comfort (p-value of <0.0074) from pretest to post-test following the educational intervention. Conclusion: Using an educational intervention improves registered nursing knowledge and comfort discussing fertility issues with newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients.