Interprofessional spanning and building boundaries when supporting potential embryo donors to stem cell research

ABSTRACT

When patients undergo fertility treatment, it is likely that a surplus of embryos will be created. The existence of these surplus embryos creates responsibilities for the clinics where they are stored and for the people who own them. Since 2001, the owners of the surplus embryos in the UK have the option to donate them to be used in stem cell research (SCR). This development has generated a new population—potential embryo donors to SCR—who have unique support needs as they are neither fertility patients nor donors. However, little is known how lay and professional stakeholders associated with fertility treatment and SCR have conceptualised the support needs of potential embryo donors to SCR or have responded to the additional task once the option became available. In this article, we draw on Gieryn’s concept of boundary-work to explore how the emergence of donating embryos to SCR has provided opportunities for embryologists, counsellors, and scientists to shift, adapt, or confirm their roles, knowledge base, and areas of expertise. We present a thematic analysis of 21 in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with UK lay and professional stakeholders associated with fertility treatment and SCR. We conclude with reflections on the implications this boundary-work has for those contemplating donating embryos to SCR and the care they receive when making their decision. Such insights are pertinent given the current policy and practice discussions led by the National Donation Strategy Group to improve the care of donors in the UK.

KEYWORDS:

• Embryo donation
• interprofessional relations
• power
• professional boundaries
• qualitative method
• stem cell research

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the participants who generously gave up their time to meet with us. We would also like to acknowledge the support received from Professor Anne Kerr and Dr. Colin Lindsay when developing the idea for this article, and the invaluable comments from the reviewers of this article.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Funding

The research was funded by a Wellcome Trust Biomedical Ethics Grant awarded to Dr. Machin (no.:075300/Z/04/Z).

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2016.1253546.

Additional information

Funding

The research was funded by a Wellcome Trust Biomedical Ethics Grant awarded to Dr. Machin (no.:075300/Z/04/Z).