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Factors influencing perceived communication quality for successful fertility preservation counseling for adolescent and young adult cancer patients and their caregivers in Korea

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Abstract

Purpose

Although relatively new in Asian countries, fertility preservation (FP) discussions are crucial for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients. This study highlights patients’ and their caregivers’ perceptions of communications quality during FP discussions in Korea.

Methods

Participants were AYA patients and their caregivers (each: n = 34). The study examined the clinical pathways for FP and used surveys to collect details on discussion characteristics and satisfaction levels during FP discussions at the Yonsei Cancer Center, Seoul, Korea. Quality and degree of satisfaction with FP discussions were measured on a scale ranging from 1 to 7.

Results

Two caregivers did not complete the survey. All respondents reported high overall satisfaction; however, several factors were related to low satisfaction with information quality. Caregivers who received both verbal communication and nonverbal communication tools (e.g., pamphlets, Internet resources) were more satisfied with the information quality than those who only received verbal communication. Regarding provider type, both respondent groups reported high overall satisfaction with physicians, rather than other types of care providers. Regarding the number of discussion sessions, respondents reported an improved understanding of FP and better communication and information quality if they participated in more than one discussion session.

Conclusion

The FP process for AYA cancer patients can be improved by adjusting the type of provider, number of discussion sessions, and types of information. This will form the cornerstone of effective FP communication in Korea.

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Funding

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Yoo Sub Shin and Mina Park equally contributed to this manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology and Urological Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Yoo Sub Shin

  2. Undergraduate school, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Yoo Sub Shin

  3. Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Mina Park, Seung Min Hahn, Seung Yeon Kwon, Won Kee Ahn, Chuhl Joo Lyu & Jung Woo Han

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Bo Hyon Yun

  5. Palliative Care Center, Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Korea

    Seung Yeon Kwon

  6. Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Korea

    Seung Min Hahn, Won Kee Ahn, Chuhl Joo Lyu & Jung Woo Han

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  1. Yoo Sub Shin
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Contributions

Jung Woo Han contributed to the study conception, study design, and edited and confirmed the survey materials. Bo Hyon Yun contributed to study design and the fertility preservation discussion and procedures. Yoo Sub Shin made the first draft of survey materials. Seung Yeon Kwon, Seung Min Hahn, Won Kee Ahn, and Chuhl Joo Lyu contributed the material preparation. Seung Yeon Kwon and Seung Min Hahn advised on the study concept, feedback regarding the relevant survey items and design. Material preparation, survey, and data collection were performed by Yoo Sub Shin and Mina Park. The data analyses were performed by Jung Woo Han and Yoo Sub Shin. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Yoo Sub Shin, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jung Woo Han.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the institutional review board at Severance Hospital, YUHS (IRB no. 4–2019-0868).

Consent for publication

Informed consent for publication submission was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Competing interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Shin, Y.S., Park, M., Yun, B.H. et al. Factors influencing perceived communication quality for successful fertility preservation counseling for adolescent and young adult cancer patients and their caregivers in Korea. Support Care Cancer 30, 9751–9762 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-022-07425-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-022-07425-4

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