An Inquiry into the Supports and Training Available to Specialist Fertility Nurses in the Delivery of Bad News to Patients

Title: An inquiry into the supports and training available to specialist fertility nurses in the delivery of bad news to patients. An Action Research Project.

Background: Specialist fertility nursing is an area of medicine which frequently involves the delivery of bad news to patients. Nurses may have to tell patients that a cycle of fertility treatment must be cancelled, that a round of treatment has not been successful or that a pregnancy is not viable. Research suggests that this is a stressful element of the role of specialist fertility nursing.

Problem Description: There is a lack of training and support specific to the challenges of working as a specialist fertility nurse.

Methods: Phases of action research were used in this project with pre -planning, construction and planning action being the focus of this cycle.

Process: Participants completed an anonymous survey and then semi structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with four nurses. Participants were recruited through the clinic where the researcher works. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis of the data was conducted.

Results: Prominent themes were established. Nurses reported experience matched existing research in this area that training and support in the area of the delivery of bad news to patients was important, and that further training and support would be welcomed. A plan for improvements to training and support emerged as a result of this research and this will be presented to all stakeholders to engage with them for the purposes of implementation of the plan.