Knowledge is not only power, it also has pretty powerful
effects, according to a study published in the January
issue of Fertility and Sterility. A pair of German
researchers reported that a little information pack goes
a long way toward relieving men's stress about an impending
fertility workup. And as the stress levels go down, so
does the number of appointments the men miss.
"Usually the uptake rates of counselling
services for infertility patients are rather low," observed
Dr Walter Krause of the Clinic of Andrology at Philipps-University
of Marburg and Dr Martin Pook, PhD, of the University
of Siegen in their paper. "In addition, no study meeting
the standards of therapy research has delivered evidence
that patients benefit from those services. Therefore,
we decided to design a leaflet with preparatory information
about fertility diagnostics and evaluate its stress-relieving
effect."
"I
DON'T THINK I CAN DO THIS"
There's likely nothing that could have made the men
relish the idea of heading to the fertility clinic.
But the simple brochure did seem to help alleviate some
of the anxieties of the 125 (out of 250) first-time
visitors who received it by mail. The leaflet described
the procedures involved in a fertility workup, listed
the questions typically asked by the physician, and
went over the measures taken to ensure the patient's
privacy. The brochure also assured men that it's perfectly
normal to be worried about ejaculating into a little
cup in a clinical setting — but added that most
men found it easier than they expected.
Upon arriving at the clinic for
his appointment, each participant assessed his stress
levels using the Infertility Distress Scale. Men who
had received the leaflet rated themselves with a mean
score of 16.6 on the scale as compared to a score of
18.1 from those who had not received the information.
Only four of the 16 who failed
to show up and re-book their appointments within six
months were from the leaflet group. Given this ratio,
the authors calculated that explanatory pamphlets could
prevent one cancellation for every 16 leaflets mailed
out to prospective patients.
"For reducing distress associated
with undergoing fertility workup, a leaflet seems to
be sufficient," wrote the authors. "Particularly for
those who decided not to use fertility services because
of investigation-related worries."
TOO
MUCH HOMEWORK?
Despite its positive impact, the authors suspected that,
as many of us with our mail, many who received the leaflet
either didn't read it or simply scanned its contents.This
they gleaned from the fact that though the leaflet repeatedly
mentioned the clinic's website, over half of the recipients
were unaware of the website's existence when questioned
just before their appointment.
Some of the participants' study
habits notwithstanding, the authors speculated that
those who took the time to read the information might
have otherwise not turned up for their appointments.
At the very least, the leaflet served as a harmless
appointment reminder for those who didn't pore over
its prose.
Fertil Steril 2005 Jan;83(1):68-73
|
