International Journal of Infertility & Fetal Medicine

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VOLUME 9 , ISSUE 1 ( January-August [1-2 Combined], 2018 ) > List of Articles

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

An Exploratory Study on Treatment Seeking Behavior and Pathways of Care Followed by Couples Attending Infertility Clinic

Nitasha Sharma, Sunita Sharma, Inderjit Kaur, Jashanpreet Kaur

Keywords : Infertile, Infertility, Pathways

Citation Information : Sharma N, Sharma S, Kaur I, Kaur J. An Exploratory Study on Treatment Seeking Behavior and Pathways of Care Followed by Couples Attending Infertility Clinic. Int J Infertil Fetal Med 2018; 9 (1):1-5.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10016-1162

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 01-06-2018

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2018; The Author(s).


Abstract

Objective: The main aim of present study was to explore the treatment seeking behavior and pathways of care followed by couples attending infertility clinic at a tertiary care center Research design: The study adopted an exploratory research design. Using total enumeration technique a total of 40 infertile couples were interviewed using semistructured interview schedule. Results: Out of total, 82% couples visited 1–4 healthcare agencies before coming to a tertiary care center. Among all treatment settings and options, majority (62%) visited private health sector as first health agency. Based on first health agency visited a total of three care pathways were revealed with longest pathway comprised total of nine health agencies out of which four were private practitioners. Conclusion: The infertile couples try varied forms of treatments before reaching a tertiary center shuttling from one agency to another. This drains them of all hope and energy for successful treatment.


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