Nurse evaluation of the redesigned fertility pen injector: a questionnaire-based observational survey

ABSTRACT

Background: Owing to the wide-ranging role nurses have in supporting patients undergoing fertility treatment, we recorded the learning/teaching expectations and experiences of nurses using a redesigned fertility pen injector.

Methods: This was a multicentre, simulated-use study, using unbranded placebo-filled pens. Before teaching patients, nurses were given free choice to rank the importance of the device attributes and predict the level of patient anxiety. Nurses taught 2–5 patients how to prepare the device, inject the dose and complete an incomplete dose. They rated the teaching experience on a 5-point scale during a questionnaire interview.

Results: Thirty nurses were enrolled across four countries. All nurses found the redesigned fertility pen injector easy to use and teach. 90% found the overall administration process easy to learn and teach. More than 80% (range 83%–100%) found each of the steps easy (score 4 or 5), and most found the steps easier to teach than expected (score 4 or 5; range 57%–90%). 97% would recommend the redesigned fertility pen injector to a colleague.

Conclusions: Nurses rated the redesigned fertility pen injector easy to learn and use and easier to teach than expected. Most would recommend the device to a colleague.

KEYWORDS:

• ART
• follitropin alfa
• GONAL-f
• IVF
• nurses
• patients
• pen injector
• questionnaire

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the participants, investigators, co-investigators, and the study teams at each of the centers and at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The authors would also like to thank Suraj Moorthy an employee of EMD Serono Inc. (a business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) for help with creating the questionnaires.

Declaration of interest

J Schertz is an employee of EMD Serono Research and Development Institute. H Worton is an employee of Aequus Research. Writing assistance, provided by Steven Goodrick of inScience Communications, Springer Healthcare, was utilized in the production of this manuscript and funded by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Supplemental material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.