title: A questionnaire-based survey to assess patient satisfaction, ease-of-learning, ease-of-use, injection site pain and overall patient satisfaction of the follitropin-alpha (Gonal-f) filled-by-mass (FbM) prefilled pen compared with other systems of gonadotrophin administration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gonadotrophins are used routinely for follicular stimulation during ovarian induction and assisted reproduction techniques. Developments in recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone preparations and their injection devices have improved patient quality of life by enabling patients to self-administer treatment at home. The objective of this study was to investigate patient experiences of learning to use and overall satisfaction with the follitropin-alpha (Gonal-f) filled-by-mass (FbM) prefilled pen.
  
  
  METHODS
  This questionnaire-based survey study was conducted in 23 fertility centres in Japan over a period of 14 months. Patients who were receiving fertility treatment with the follitropin-alpha (FbM) prefilled pen were asked to complete a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction, ease of learning and use, and injection site pain following treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 663 women participated in the study. The majority of patients found the instructions for administering follitropin-alpha with the prefilled pen easy to understand (83.0%; n = 546/658) and patients found that a hands-on demonstration by a nurse or doctor was the most useful tool for learning to use the follitropin-alpha (FbM) prefilled pen (80.0%; n = 497/621). Forty-eight percent (n = 318) of patients in the study had previous experience with different types of fertility medications and the majority of these patients found the follitropin-alpha (FbM) prefilled pen easier to use (75.1%; n = 232/309) and less painful (89.0%; n = 347/390) than their previous medication. The majority (80.2%; n = 521/650) of patients reported overall satisfaction with the follitropin-alpha (FbM) prefilled pen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The follitropin-alpha (FbM) prefilled pen is an easy-to-use injection device according to this questionnaire-based survey. Patients who had experience of different types of fertility medication preferred the follitropin-alpha (FbM) prefilled pen to other injection devices.
authors.affiliation: Japanese Institution for Standardizing Assisted Reproductive Technology, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Utsunomiya
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tatsumi
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ezcurra
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D043373:Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Human / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation; D007564:Japan; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation; D012646:Self Administration / Q000295:instrumentation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D043373:Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Human; D006062:Gonadotropins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C571801:follitropin alfa