Author(s): Nastaran Rafiei , Simin Esmaeilpour Zanjani , Kajal Khodamoradi
Recent advances in diagnosis and treatment of cancers have resulted in
survival improvement in young patients with cancer. Given the side effects of cancer
treatments on function of the reproductive system, health care providers need to be
educated about the side effects of cancer treatment and fertility preservation. The aim
of this study was to explore the effect of education on nursing students' knowledge
towards fertility preservation methods in patients with cancer.
Materials and Meth-
ods:
This was a quasi-experimental one-group pre-test post-test research study that was
carried out by the nursing faculty at Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon in 2018.
Data was collected through two-part questionnaire, including demographic characteris-
tics and 32 questions about the knowledge of fertility preservation in patients with
cancer. The study intervention was an educational package which include 8 sessions of
small group education, planning questions and a booklet. Students were asked to
complete the questionnaire before starting an educational session and again two weeks
after the last session.
Results:
The difference in mean score of the nursing students’
knowledge before and after the educational package intervention was significant (P=
0.0001). Also, the knowledge rank of nursing students after the intervention was signifi-
cantly better than before (P = 0.0001). There was a significant difference between the
mean score of knowledge based on gender (0.0001), marital status (0.0001) and residen-
cy (0.0001).
Conclusion:
In conclusion, educational intervention towards fertility
preservation had positive effect on nursing students’ knowledge. Therefore, the impor-
tance of considering this new approach to fertility preservation in patients with cancer
should be considered in the nursing curriculum as they consider as the main resource of
the medical information to the patients