The Guide aims to ensure high-quality assisted reproduction treatment as defined by the European Union criteria for good quality medical treatment and the ESHRE position paper on Good clinical treatment in Assisted Reproduction.
Although in principle foreign and local patients should be treated the same and with the best possible treatment, there is evidence that this is not always the case.
The Guide is based on the core principles in health care: 'equity', 'safety', 'efficiency', 'patient centeredness', 'timeliness' and 'effectiveness'. The principle of equity means that any difference between local and foreign patients should be justified, for instance the extra cost for a translator. Foreign donors should receive similar care to patients and local donors. No distinctions are to be made based on their origin and/or motivation. ESHRE recommends that national and foreign donors receive comparable compensation and that the recruitment criteria are the same.
According to the ESHRE Task Force on CBRC, the ideal is fair access to fertility treatment at home for all patients. However, often faced with no realistic alternatives due to legal restrictions, long waiting lists, lack of donors or unavailable or expensive treatments, patients travel across borders and may not receive adequate treatment in the country of their choice.
"Doctors should consider the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence together and aim at producing minimal risks with a maximum chance of pregnancy," says Dr. Franoise Shenfield, coordinator of the ESHRE Task Force. Here the group refers to the ESHRE position paper on 'Good Clinical Treatment in Assisted Reproduction'.
Treatments should abide by these rules. One example would be a restrictive embryo transfer policy to eliminate high order multiple gestations.
Patients should receive clear information about necessary tests, their costs and realistic waiting times; donors should receive
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| Contact: Hanna Hanssen hanna@eshre.eu 322-263-6466 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Source:Eurekalert |