Investigating the Problems and Needs of Infertile Patients Referring to Assisted Reproduction Centers: A Review Study

Background: The provision of optimal care is the most important goal in nursing, the fulfillment of which requires the identification of clients’ problems and needs. However, based on the review of the literature, no review study has investigated the problems and needs of the infertile patients in Iran. Aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the problems and needs of the infertile patients referring to the assisted reproduction centers. Method: This review study was based on the traditional review procedure developed by Cronin et al., which entails five steps including: 1) choosing the topic of the review, 2) searching the manuscripts, 3) collecting, reading, and analyzing the texts, 4) writing the review, and 5) providing references. The articles published within 2003-2017 were searched in such valid databases as Google Scholar, Pub Med, Science Direct, Ovid, and Cochran. The inclusion criteria in this study were articles in Persian and English with the keywords referring to problems and needs of clients. Out of the 350 original articles, 31 cases were finally selected for this review study. Results: In general, the infertile patients’ problems were placed under four domains of mental-psychological, social, marital, and financial factors. The needs of the infertile individuals were grouped into six domains of physical, care, informational, financial, mental-psychological, and spiritual factors. Implications for Practice: The identification of the patients’ problems and needs can lead to the conceptualization of strategic points targeted toward the delivery of effective interventions facilitating the provision of patient-centered infertility care. This can enhance the quality of life and lower the levels of stress during the course of treatment.