Karly M. Ingram, PhD, MS, of East Carolina University, and colleagues conducted the study and published their findings in Supportive Care in Cancer.
Dr. Ingram and colleagues developed the alpha version of Fertilit-e because “digital decision aids are a promising strategy to ensure YAs [young adults with cancer] receive timely, guideline-concordant information” because patients in this oncology population “are rarely provided the necessary resources to make informed decisions about fertility preservation prior to beginning treatment.”
They designed the navigator using “existing evidence-based” fertility preservation resources and data. As part of the usability study, Dr. Ingram and colleagues gathered patient feedback “from two waves of participants using a think-aloud framework, and modifications were made to the decision aid.”
A total of 12 patients were included in the testing process, and participants confirmed that they “understood the purpose of Fertilit-e and thought modules were comprehensive and easy to understand.”
Overall, both waves of participants gave Fertilit-e an “excellent” usability rating with both an iPad and computer, and patient recommendations for improvement of the navigation tool included “reducing the use of and better defining medical terminology and adding text to videos to enhance comprehensibility.”
Dr. Ingram and colleagues reflected on the implications of fertility preservation navigator tools for young adult patients and survivors of cancer and emphasized that “digital decision aids may be a feasible and useful strategy” for helping patients in this population “navigate decisions regarding whether to pursue FP [fertility preservation] at the time of diagnosis.”
“Tailoring algorithms and reorganization may direct users to the most relevant information,” investigators concluded in response to patients’ usability suggestions. “Additional research is needed to refine and evaluate such tools before integration into routine care.”