Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38877503›Full record

ArticleBMC women's health2024

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) patient information-seeking behavior: a qualitative study.

Emma Mayette, Ariel Scalise, Angela Li, Nicolette McGeorge, Kaitlyn James, Shruthi Mahalingaiah

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC women's health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07126769 (Virtual Knowledge, Real Stress), which is not on this map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07126769 recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Virtual Knowledge, Real Stress: The Role of Cyberchondria Severity in Women Undergoing Infertility Treatment

Typeobservational_patient_registrySponsorAcibadem UniversityRan2025 to 2026Enrolled201ConditionsCyberchondria, Stress, Infertility
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Treatment experience of patients with failedFrontiers in public health · 2026
    Article
  5. Observational
  6. Article
  7. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Emma MayetteDivision of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Yawkey 10, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. emayette@mgh.harvard.edu.
Ariel ScaliseDivision of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Yawkey 10, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Angela LiDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Nicolette McGeorgeCharles River Analytics, Inc., 625 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge, MA, 02148, USA.
Kaitlyn JamesDivision of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Yawkey 10, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Shruthi MahalingaiahDivision of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Yawkey 10, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.

Funding

CDC HHS 1 R43DP006690-01-00
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundApproximately 13% of women in the United States of reproductive age seek infertility services. Assisted reproductive technology (ART), including in vitro fertilization, is used to help patients achieve pregnancy. Many people are not familiar with these treatments prior to becoming patients and possess knowledge gaps about care.

methodsThis study employed qualitative methods to investigate how patients interact with information sources during care. Patients who underwent ART including embryo transfer between January 2017 and April 2022 at a large urban healthcare center were eligible. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted between August and October 2022. Fifteen females with an average age of 39 years participated. Reflexive thematic analysis was performed.

resultsTwo main themes emerged. Participants (1) utilized clinic-provided information and then turned to outside sources to fill knowledge gaps; (2) struggled to learn about costs, insurance, and mental health resources to support care. Participants preferred clinic-provided resources and then utilized academic sources, the internet, and social media when they had unfulfilled information needs. Knowledge gaps related to cost, insurance, and mental health support were reported.

conclusionART clinics can consider providing more information about cost, insurance, and mental health support to patients.

trial registrationThe Massachusetts General Hospital Institutional Review Board approved this study (#2022P000474) and informed consent was obtained from each participant.

Indexed as

Information Seeking BehaviorQualitative ResearchReproductive Techniques, AssistedAdultFemaleHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHumansMiddle AgedPregnancyUnited StatesAssisted reproductive technologyInfertilityIn vitro fertilizationPatient information-seeking behaviorQualitative researchThematic analysis

Identifiers

PMID38877503
PMCPMC11179360

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.