Contemporary Dutch policy and legislation facilitate the use of high quality, accessible and affordable assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) to all citizens in need of them, while at the same time setting some strict boundaries on their use in daily clinical practices. Through the ethnographic study of a single clinic in this national context, Patient-Centred IVF examines how this particular form of medicine, aiming to empower its patients, co-shapes the experiences, views and decisions of those using these technologies. Gerrits contends that to understand the use of reproductive technologies in practice and the complexity of processes of medicalization, we need to go beyond 'easy assumptions' about the hegemony of biomedicine and the expected impact of patient-centredness.

Contemporary Dutch policy and legislation facilitate the use of high quality, accessible and affordable assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) to all citizens in need of them, while at the same time setting some strict boundaries on their use in daily clinical practices. Through the ethnographic study of a single clinic in this national context, Patient-Centred IVF examines how this particular form of medicine, aiming to empower its patients, co-shapes the experiences, views and decisions of those using these technologies. Gerrits contends that to understand the use of reproductive technologies in practice and the complexity of processes of medicalization, we need to go beyond ‘easy assumptions’ about the hegemony of biomedicine and the expected impact of patient-centredness.

Address the future of innovative reproductive technologies with experts in the fields of IVF, fertility preservation and laboratory advances. This essential resource examines the changing roles of IVF, and moves beyond the basics of reproductive medicine. This book introduces the optimization of care, to improve patient outcomes, whilst facing ethical challenges that accompany new technologies, and applying the patient-centered care model to improve both patient and staff retention. By showcasing the future of the field in terms of clinical practice and innovative laboratory technologies, this guide will support clinics worldwide to provide high-quality customer experience, maintaining a competitive edge, following increasing standardization of clinical and laboratory protocols. This invaluable guide features chapters on patient evaluation, predictive modelling, advances in pharmacology, and laboratories of the future. Written by research and clinical leaders from around the world, it describes ground-breaking innovative treatments and technologies, encompassing the care model in a holistic way.

Bringing together the latest information on the organization, management and quality of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) units, this is the first true field guide for the clinician working in assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Divided thematically into four main sections, part one discussed the establishment and organization of the IVF unit, including location, design and construction, practical considerations for batching IVF cycles, and regulations and risk management. Part two, the largest section, covers the many aspects of overall quality management and its implementation – staff and patient management, cryobank and PGD/PGS management, and data management – as well as optimization of treatment outcomes and statistical process control analysis to assess quality variation. Part three addresses the relationship between IVF units and society at large, including the ethics of IVF treatment, as well as public/low-cost and private/corporate IVF units. Advertising and marketing for IVF units is discussed in part four, including the building and managing of websites and the use of traditional print and social media. With approximately five thousand IVF units worldwide and a growing number of training programs, Organization and Management of IVF Units is a key resource for clinic directors, unit managers, embryologists, quality experts, and students of reproductive medicine and clinical embryology.

Presents the perspective of a distinct form of e-health that is patient-focused, patient-aware, patient-empowered, and patient-active. Addresses the special characteristics of the e-health domain through a user-centered design, providing foundational topics in areas such as patient-centered design methods, psychological aspects of online health communication, and e-health marketing.