Qualitative evaluation of the acceptability and feasibility among health care professionals and patients of an ART multi-cycle treatment planning and continuation intervention prototype

Harrison, C., Gameiro, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2496-2004 and Boivin, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9498-1708 2023. Qualitative evaluation of the acceptability and feasibility among health care professionals and patients of an ART multi-cycle treatment planning and continuation intervention prototype. Human Reproduction 38 (3) , pp. 430-443. 10.1093/humrep/deac272

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Abstract

STUDY QUESTION Is it possible to design an ART Treatment Planning and Continuation Intervention (TPCI) that is considered acceptable and feasible to patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs)? SUMMARY ANSWER HCPs and patients responded positively to the TPCI prototype and perceived it as an acceptable intervention to support patients to stay engaged with planned treatment, but some concerns were raised about the feasibility of using it in practice. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY People discontinue ART due to its psychological burden. Digital tools to support people undergoing ART are available but typically focus only on practical support rather than psychological support. Research about treatment continuation and multi-cycle planning indicates that cognitive factors (expectations, intentions, efficacy beliefs) should be targets of interventions designed to help patients engage with and continue treatment to meet their personal treatment plans and goals. However, it is not known whether this form of psychological support would be acceptable for HCPs and patients or feasible to implement in practice. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Qualitative cognitive interviews with HCPs and patients (May 2021). Patients were eligible if they had had a consultation to start a first/repeat stimulated IVF/ICSI cycle in the 8 weeks prior to recruitment, were aged 18 or older (upper age limit of 42 years for women) and fluent in English. Eligible HCPs were those employed by a fertility clinic who were responsible for delivering treatment planning consultations to patients. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS HCPs and patients were asked to think aloud while being exposed to and exploring the TPCI in one-to-one online cognitive interviews. The TPCI was designed to reduce treatment discontinuation via cognitive factors namely formation and maintenance of multi-cycle ART intentions and efficiency of decision-making during treatment, and continuation of treatment after an unsuccessful cycle (when recommended). To impact cognitive factors the TPCI comprised of two components: an expectation management and reasoning checklist for HCPs to use during planning consultations (TPCI Checklist) and a multi-feature cognitive support mobile application (TPCI App) for patients to use prior to and during treatment. After participants thought aloud while being exposed to the TPCI prototype (both components) they were asked open questions concerning their perceptions of the core components and activities on eight acceptability dimensions (e.g. acceptability, demand, integration). Interviews lasted between 40 and 90 min, were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
ISSN:	0268-1161
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	12 January 2023
Date of Acceptance:	24 November 2022
Last Modified:	05 May 2023 20:43
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/155817

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