Medical successes and couples’ psychological problems in assisted reproduction treatment: a narrative based medicine approach

Smorti, Martina; Smorti, Andrea

doi:10.3109/14767058.2012.722728

Cited by 16 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Smorti and Smorti 29 used a Narrative-based Medicine approach to investigate medical success and couples' psychological problems in assisted reproduction treatment. They administered face-to-face semistructured autobiographical interviews to couples in order to explore the story of the pregnancy in depth, transcribing the interviews verbatim and analysing them via a thematic analysis.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research studies on patients' illness experience using the Narrative Medicine approach: a systematic review

et al. 2016

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ObjectiveSince its birth about 30 years ago, Narrative Medicine approach has increased in popularity in the medical context as well as in other disciplines. This paper aims to review Narrative Medicine research studies on patients' and their caregivers' illness experience.Setting and participantsMEDLINE, Psycinfo, EBSCO Psychological and Behavioural Science, The Cochrane Library and CINAHL databases were searched to identify all the research studies which focused on the Narrative Medicine approach reported in the title, in the abstract and in the keywords the words ‘Narrative Medicine’ or ‘Narrative-based Medicine’. Primary and secondary outcome measures: number of participants, type of disease, race and age of participants, type of study, dependent variables, intervention methods, assessment.ResultsOf the 325 titles screened, we identified 10 research articles fitting the inclusion criteria. Our systematic review showed that research on Narrative Medicine has no common specific methodology: narrative in Medicine is used as an intervention protocol as well as an assessment tool. Patients' characteristics, types of disease and data analysis procedures differ among the screened studies.ConclusionsNarrative Medicine research in medical practice needs to find clear and specific protocols to deepen the impact of narrative on medical practice and on patients' lives.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research studies on patients' illness experience using the Narrative Medicine approach: a systematic review

et al. 2016

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“…In this regard, mental health professionals can work with providers to enhance their communication skills, as well as their understanding of the negative feelings related to infertility (fear, anguish, frustration, sense of inadequacy) underneath patients' expressions of anger, lack of trust, and controlling behaviors (Patel et al, 2018). As suggested by Smorti and Smorti (2013), psychologists may also help providers understand more in depth the pathways to parenthood of couples who underwent ART, considering the specificities of this transition in the context of infertility (for instance, as regards to challenges and obstacles, sense of victory when the pregnancy is achieved, medicalization, and controlling behaviors). Moreover, psychologists can help providers understand whether their own history and subjective experience interferes with their clinical practice, especially in terms of doctor-patient communication.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Working With Infertile Couples Seeking Assisted Reproduction: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study With Infertility Care Providers

et al. 2020

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Although most studies investigated the impact of infertility and its treatment on the couple, a small body of evidence suggested that infertility care providers may experience different sources of stress related for instance to excessive workload, the complexity of the technique, and relational difficulties with patients. The current study aimed at providing further insight into the understanding of the subjective experience of infertility care providers by highlighting their feelings and emotions, personal meanings, challenges, and opportunities. Following the methodological guidelines of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, we conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 23 members of two different fertility units. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Textual analysis was then conducted to identify emerging dominant themes and subthemes. Three main themes were extracted: (i) dealing with infertile patients and their specificities, (ii) performing assisted reproductive technology (ART), (iii) being part of a team. These themes related to participants experiencing: (i) difficulties in establishing an empathic connection and communicating with couples, such that women were sometimes perceived as “particular patients” and men as poorly involved in the process; (ii) difficulties in dealing with a complex procedure in which errors are not allowed (as reported by embryologists), with a growing number of women aged > 40 seeking assisted reproduction, despite the risks for their health; (iii) being part of a team as a resource, although the huge amount of time spent together can involve conflicts and organizational problems. These findings suggested that patients’ overpersistence (rather than just dropout) represents an important source of stress for infertility care providers. At the same time, the concept of particular or difficult patient derives from the combination of multiple factors, including providers’ own history and subjective experience. The presence of mental health professionals in fertility units is essential to help providers improve the quality of doctor-patient communication and relieve the stress related to organizational issues and conflicts.

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“…To help the women who have become pregnant through ARTs, midwives, nurses and other prenatal care givers should be sufficiently trained and educated (Smorti and Smorti, 2012). Although midwifery care alone is sufficient for many women with assisted pregnancies, and they are given care the same way as other low-risk pregnant women, it is necessary that the midwives are informed about potential complications.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On some occasions, the physical changes in the early stages of preg-nancy in these women, on the contrary, are worrisome rather than confirming pregnancy. Of course, this stage is gradually terminated as soon as the mother feels fetal movement (Smorti and Smorti 2012).…”

Section: Anxiety and Stress During Pregnancymentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal Care in Pregnancies Through Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs): A Narrative Review Article

Ranjbar¹,

Moghadam²,

Gharacheh³

2017

JCCNC

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Background: Understanding the physiological and psycho-social effects of pregnancy through Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) will enable health care providers to identify and treat any adverse outcomes, and provide support to women seeking fertility treatments. The aim of this paper was to review studies describing prenatal care in pregnancy through ARTs. Methods: A systematic search of the electronic databases including Medline/Pubmed, ISI Web of science and EMbase, persian databases and Google Scholar search engine was performed with keywords 'assisted reproductive technology', 'in vitro fertilization', 'prenatal care', 'midwifery' and 'pregnancy'. Qualitative, quantitative and review studies in English and Persian languages, published between 1990-2017 were selected, and 51 papers related to prenatal care in assisted pregnancies (In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intra Cytoplasmic Injection (ISCI)) that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Results: The important issues regarding the prenatal care for women who conceive through ARTs include gaining the mother's trust, involving the spouse in prenatal care, taking an accurate history, considering the underlying cause of infertility and the history of treatment, understanding theadverse consequences of ARTs on the health of the mother and fetus, helping the mother adapt to pregnancy and develop an attachment to the fetus, managing ARTs-related psychosocial issues, and maintaining confidentiality. Conclusion: Midwives managing the assisted pregnancies should be well aware of the unavoidable effects of ARTs on pregnancy to provide appropriate prenatal care.

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Medical successes and couples’ psychological problems in assisted reproduction treatment: a narrative based medicine approach

Abstract: Results suggest that physicians can benefit from knowing the phases that infertile couples experience during pregnancy because these can serve as a framework to use in monitoring their transition to parenthood and in planning psychological support and health interventions for them.

Cited by 16 publications

References 20 publications

Research studies on patients' illness experience using the Narrative Medicine approach: a systematic review

Research studies on patients' illness experience using the Narrative Medicine approach: a systematic review

Working With Infertile Couples Seeking Assisted Reproduction: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study With Infertility Care Providers

Prenatal Care in Pregnancies Through Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs): A Narrative Review Article

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