Perceptions of Oncology Nurses Regarding Fertility Preservation and Providing Oncofertility Services for Men of Childbearing Age with Cancer

概要

Perceptions of oncology nurses regarding fertility
preservation and providing oncofertility services for men of
childbearing age with cancer
㸦⏕Ṫᖺ㱋࡟࠶ࡿ⏨ᛶࡀࢇᝈ⪅࡟ᑐࡍࡿዷᏎᛶ Ꮡ࡜ᨭ᥼ᥦ౪࡟㛵
ࡍࡿ┳ㆤᖌࡢㄆ㆑㸧


Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences
Zhang Hanfeng
Objectives: As survival improves for cancer patients, fertility has become an
increasingly important issue worldwide. However, studies revealed that cancer patients
were not well informed about the fertility risk and the utilization of fertility preservation
(FP) methods was low. This study investigated the knowledge, thoughts, and attitudes of
oncology nurses regarding FP for male cancer patients of childbearing age, and for
offering counseling or oncofertility services for the men in their care in China.

Methods: Data was collected from 18 oncology nurses in Southwest China through
voluntary self-report in-depth interviews. The qualitative interview data were analyzed
using a descriptive phenomenology method based on the lived experience of the nurses.

Results: The interviewees repeated six commonalities of concern about FP, namely:
insufficient knowledge of FP; inadequate nursing education regarding FP; importance of
offering FP services to cancer patients; legal vulnerability if FP information is withheld
from patients; role of the nurse in FP counseling; and barriers to discussing FP in practice.
Nurses had a positive attitude toward FP, but most had no role in routinely informing male
patients of their options, and they perceived that the discussion of FP was outside their
scope of practice.

Conclusions: This study offers insight into the perceptions of oncology nurses in a
developing country regarding the provision of FP services for adult male cancer patients.
Highlighted is the lack of knowledge and confidence to provide oncofertility services
among Chinese oncology nurses. The results led to a recommendation that local fertility
nurses should be trained through new education. Furthermore, nurse-led clinics are
desirable. Future research should focus on the effectiveness of nurse participation in FP
counseling and referral, and how to improve the professional confidence of oncology
nurses for addressing FP issues.