Methods
This pilot pre-post medical education interventional study focused on provider knowledge of infertility risk and fertility preservation options related to treatment for cancer and hematologic conditions. Participants included pediatric hematology-oncology faculty, fellows and advance practice providers (APPs) at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
The study intervention consisted of a one-hour educational session during time that is typically reserved for the weekly divisional case conference. Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the educational session was led and delivered virtually via Zoom. Participants were allowed to ask questions during and after the session. The educational materials covered information on: (1) different gonadotoxic therapies, including specific dosing thresholds that place patients at a significant risk of infertility from alkylating chemotherapy, heavy metals, radiation therapy, surgery and HSCT conditioning regimens; (2) different methods for fertility preservation making a clear distinction between methods available for pre-pubertal and post-pubertal patients; (3) general procedures and biology behind TTC and OTC including future directions geared toward in vitro maturation of sperm and oocytes; and finally (4) the role of the primary team in facilitating a fertility preservation discussion at diagnosis as well as the appropriate timing and process for consulting the fertility preservation team. Key educational points from the session are summarized in Table 1. These points are based on the 2020 Meacham et al risk assessment study and the 2019 ASRM fertility preservation guidelines[5, 9].
We conducted pre- and post-tests (Supplemental File 1) in order to assess participants’ knowledge on infertility risk and fertility preservation options before and after our study intervention, respectively. Both tests included the same 10 multiple choice questions. Participants received the pre and post-tests via email two weeks prior and immediately after the planned educational session, respectively. The study was approved by the Institutional review board (IRB).