Table 2.
Patient-centred infertility care (PCIC) dimensions from the perspective of Arab women experiencing infertility
| PCIC dimensions | PCIC items |
| Accessibility | Availability of appropriate appointments |
| Ease of access to the healthcare facility | |
| Smoothness of the process of booking appointment, registration and workflow | |
| Justice in handling appointments and patient access | |
| Providing easy access to doctors through phone and online consultations | |
| Short waiting time | |
| Vacancy (no overcrowding) | |
| Minimising cost | Covering infertility care cost by insurance |
| Provision of infertility management in public sector free of charge | |
| Providing infertility care at reasonable, affordable cost | |
| Physical comfort | Cleanliness |
| Comfortable environment | |
| Assistance and provision of care | |
| Pain avoidance and relieve | |
| Single dose, less frequent medication doses | |
| Privacy | Providing care in special department for women with infertility |
| Providing female doctors | |
| Avoiding over or unnecessarily exposing intimate parts of patient’s body | |
| Considering differences in privacy mean from patient to another | |
| Ensuring minimal interruption and number of people in, no men or other patients | |
| Taking patient permission before allowing more people in | |
| Preferring nobody knows about patient’s infertility issues | |
| Considering differences in the preferences regarding husband involvement | |
| Staff attitude and communication | Treating patient and other staff with dignity and respect |
| Staff truthfulness | |
| Avoiding materialistic behaviour | |
| Practicing medicine in love and dedication | |
| Being so patient | |
| Religious approach | |
| Staff competence | Well-known doctors |
| Proper and accurate evaluation; history, examination and investigations as needed | |
| Understanding the patient fast and well | |
| Providing diagnosis and curative solutions | |
| Avoiding medications with bad side effects | |
| Providing comprehensive and personalised care | |
| Qualification | |
| Information and education | Giving and taking, encouraging discussion and negotiation |
| Providing relevant information about the patient status, progress and prognosis | |
| Disclosure and clarification of all treatment options | |
| Providing information on processes of care before each step, what to expect before, during, andafter procedures, then home care, plan of care, and follow-up | |
| Informing patient about the use, expected effects and possible side effects before starting treatment | |
| Providing relevant information with adequate explanation | |
| Talking to patients with simple understandable language | |
| Welcoming patient questions and providing answers throughout healthcare journey | |
| Raising health awareness and education through school education, doctors in clinics and campaigns | |
| Considering the patient with long experience as an expert in her case | |
| Psychological and emotional support | Listening to patients |
| Considering the patient’s personal situation | |
| Preparing patient psychologically throughout her treatment journey | |
| Giving patient realistic hope | |
| Avoiding using destroying words or attitude, or pointing finger at the patient | |
| Ensuring ongoing support and motivation | |
| Continuity and coordination of care | Studying the patient case well including proper documentation and up-to-date file review |
| Treating couple as one case | |
| Developing and sharing detailed plan of care from the start | |
| Ongoing planning, follow-up, and coordination of care hand on hand with the patient based on health situations and patient needs | |
| Providing follow-up with the same doctor | |
| Including doctors from same specialty and other specialties as needed | |
| Facilitating the shortest treatment journey | |
| Encouraging female’s check-up before marriage |