Pnm-31: Nurses and Midwives: Do They Have a Role in Promoting The Well-Being of Infertile Couples? A Review of The Literature

Background: People seeking fertility treatment are exposed to numerous stressors and many professionals are involved in their care. Most patients undergoing health interventions feel stress at some point in the process, but for infertile patients, this is pronounced. Patients who feel stressed are not experiencing wellbeing, so the role of the fertility nurse/midwife in alleviating stress and providing emotional support is important. This literature review focuses on the role of nurses and midwives in the promotion of patients’ well-being. Materials and Methods: A literature search was undertaken using the following databases: Sciencedirect, Cochrane library and CINHAL. The search was limited to the period from the late 2008s to 2013. Results: There is an abundance of reports on the specific management of patients during their fertility journey; Concluded that infertility and failure to conceive through medical interventions could impact on individual well-being and emotional distress. Women undergoing fertility treatment have identified that psychological support is a necessity during all aspects of their treatment cycle, but particularly prior to their pregnancy test result where they often felt isolated, having received intense contact up to and including embryo transfer. Acknowledged the emotional trauma that fertility patients may experience, supporting the suggestion that midwives should be required to be aware of their patients’ psychological wellbeing. However, midwives required adequate knowledge of reproductive medicine. Conclusion: It is not unreasonable that nurses and midwives receive training in acquiring skills in the provision of such support to patients which, arguably, is consistent with the general requirement that their skills and knowledge are updated to ensure safe and effective practice, but this would have resource implications.