Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Young women with breast cancer may not be able to get pregnant after cancer treatments. Currently patients do not feel they receive enough information to make informed fertility decisions before treatment. We aim to determine what fertility information doctors and breast cancer survivors think would be important to include in a Canadian fertility decision aid. To determine the information, 8 doctors and 8 breast cancer survivors from across Canada evaluated 6 decision support tools created in different countries. Interviews were done in-person and by telephone from March to June 2016 and ranged in length from 30 to 90 minutes. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, organized and analyzed against the sections of the interview guide questions. It was found that each decision support tool had information that could be used in the Canadian fertility decision aid. In particular, correct information that was relevant to Canadians, organizations for support and financial help, and outcomes of the fertility options were seen as important information to include in the Canadian decision aid. There were mixed views on the level of detail needed for some information such as the option to adopt children after treatment, including personal stories, and including a section that helped women clarify their feelings towards the fertility options. Everyone interviewed agreed that the information included in the Canadian decision aid should not be a repeat of information given by other doctors and that it should be to the point to avoid overwhelming patients. The evaluation showed the type of information and features of existing fertility decision support tools that are important to consider when creating the Canadian decision aid.