Donor-centred care: the facilitating and constraining factors experienced by gamete donors in a public bank

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The provision of care that is responsive to the preferences, needs and values of gamete donors is key to improving their recruitment and ensuring the functioning of gamete banks. This qualitative study aimed to explore gamete donors’ experiences about the facilitating and constraining human and system factors to donor-centred healthcare delivery in gamete banks. It is based on 20 semi-structured interviews with oocyte and sperm donors, recruited at the Portuguese Public Bank of Gametes, conducted from November 2017 to February 2019. Deductive content analysis was performed using the software NVivo12, following the patient-centred infertility care model. Interviewees identified facilitating factors mostly related with the human dimension of care (i.e. careful and available attitude and behaviours of health professionals, as well as their good communication skills and emotional support). Constraining factors were predominantly identified at the system level (i.e. insufficient information provision, poor coordination, and integration). Lack of privacy emerged simultaneously as a human and a system constraining factor (i.e. physical discomfort during medical-technical acts or gamete collection). There is room for improving clinical practice and the organisation of healthcare services within a context where the competence and attitude of, and relationship with, the staff are highly valued.