Background
Less than half of eligible cancer patients know, or are told, about preserving their fertility. Barriers to patients accessing fertility preservation counselling and treatment include low awareness. Western & Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (WCMICS) in collaboration with patients and cancer fertility specialists developed resources to bridge these gaps.
Fertility after Cancer video series produced for patients and health professionals explaining fertility preservation options following a cancer diagnosis.
The resource responds directly to the national COSA fertility preservation guidelines which call on clinicians to offer fertility discussions as a part of every patient’s cancer plan.
Method
Following a thorough appraisal of Australian online onco-fertility resources, it became evident that whilst some written content is available, no audio-visual, translated materials exist. Furthermore, a comprehensive literature search suggest that many cancer survivors are not given the opportunity to discuss their future fertility options.
A modified co-design methodology was adopted with a broad range of clinicians and consumers. The video series offer evidence-based, age-appropriate educational content suitable for children, adults, and families.
The videos are translated into Arabic, Greek, Italian, Mandarin and Vietnamese; improving equity of access for people from diverse backgrounds.
Results
The 7-episode video series was launched alongside an Australian-first Fertility After Cancer campaign; offering cancer patients targeted information on how to preserve their fertility before starting treatment. ~5,000 views of the series have been recorded since the launch.