Experiences of doctors and nurses offering fertility guidance to young breast cancer patients: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: Existing qualitative studies on young breast cancer patients' fertility have explored patients' perspectives rather than those of doctors and nurses. With the goal of presenting a scientific basis for the design of high-quality fertility guidance programs, this study examines the advantages and disadvantages of providing fertility guidance, as well as the obstacles perceived by doctors and nurses. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used to select 16 doctors and nurses from a Class III Grade A cancer hospital in Hunan Province, China, from March to May 2023. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted. The interview data were analyzed and organized using Colaizzi's seven-step analysis method and NVivo software, respectively. RESULTS: Three themes and nine sub-themes were extracted from the data: (1) Attitude: maintain patients' fertility hope, respect patients' fertility wishes; (2) Obstacles: patient factors, family factors, healthcare worker factors; (3) Suggestions: enhance the professional confidence of doctors and nurses, ensure two-way communication between doctors and patients, promote interdisciplinary knowledge sharing, and establish a whole-process fertility guidance model. CONCLUSIONS: When carrying out fertility guidance for young breast cancer patients, doctors and nurses should fully respect and safeguard the patients' fertility wishes and hope, continuously strengthen their own knowledge reserve, promote interdisciplinary cooperation and improve their communication abilities, rationally analyze the hindrances, and provide continuous and personalized fertility guidance considering factors related to the patient and their family.

Development and validation of a fertility information support scale for reproductive-aged patients with breast cancer.

Objective: This study aims to develop and validate a suitable scale for assessing the level of fertility information support in reproductive-aged breast cancer patients. Methods: We utilized an exploratory mixed methods approach, dividing the study into two phases: scale development and validation. In Phase 1, initial items were generated through literature review and qualitative interviews. In Phase 2, a cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 468 reproductive-aged breast cancer patients to evaluate the scale's validity and reliability. Scale items underwent item analysis, and their validity and reliability were assessed using Cronbach's α coefficient, retest reliability, content validity, structural validity, and convergent validity. Results: The final scale comprised 17 items, and exploratory factor analysis revealed three common dimensions with internal consistency coefficients of 0.894, 0.816, and 0.869. The overall internal consistency of the scale was 0.908, with a retest reliability Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.937, indicating strong stability and reliability. The construct validity of the scale was excellent (χ2 = 198.606, df = 113, χ2/df = 1.758, root mean square of approximation error = 0.055, goodness-of-fit index = 0.917, comparative fit index = 0.979, null fitting index = 0.953, and incremental fitting index = 0.979). Conclusions: Our fertility information support scale for reproductive-aged breast cancer patients demonstrates favorable psychometric properties. It serves as a valuable tool for evaluating fertility information support levels among these patients, assisting medical professionals in addressing fertility concerns and implementing personalized support programs. However, further research is needed to investigate the applicability of this scale in patients from diverse social and cultural backgrounds.

Qualitative study of the fertility information support experiences of young breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: This qualitative study aimed to deeply understand the current experience of fertility information support for young breast cancer patients and to provide further evidence supporting the development of a fertility information support project. METHODS: Using purposive sampling, 18 young breast cancer patients were selected for in-depth interviews from June to September 2022. Colaizzi's seven step analysis method and NVivo software were used to analyze and organize the interview data. RESULTS: Three themes and 10 subthemes were summarized from the interview data: Information anxiety (strong information demand, insufficient information support, information explosion, and information security); reproductive concerns (desire for fertility, anxiety about their children's health, denial of one's health, multiple burdens of emotional interweaving); and family support (the importance of good family relations, the need for a positive marital relationship). CONCLUSIONS: Medical staff should realize the importance of information support for young breast cancer patients and correctly identify the obstacles to insufficient information support. By establishing a fertility information support program, patients' awareness and the quality of fertility information support can be improved to reduce fertility anxiety in breast cancer patients.