GREP Trainee Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Background: As fetal therapy centers rapidly develop and ethical questions arise, multidisciplinary oversight is necessary to provide well-informed recommendations regarding proposed innovative fetal therapies as well as research. However, evidence-based research on optimal on-boarding education of such oversight committees is lacking. Objective: To 1) determine the efficacy of on-boarding education for a new Fetal Therapy Board, which included a resource repository and a novel mock consultation, and to 2) identify educational gaps in order to tailor ongoing training. Design/Methods: IRB approval (exemption) was obtained by both Harvard Longwood (IRB23-0025) and Boston Children's Hospital (IRB-P00044527). Members of a newly constructed Fetal Therapy Board, consisting of health professionals and community members with varying ethics and medical backgrounds, completed on-boarding education and participated in a novel mock consultation. They were then asked to participate in a voluntary, multi-methods REDCap survey collecting self-reported knowledge and comfort-level data regarding fetal therapy knowledge, ethical reasoning, and communication skills. Multivariable regression models were constructed to determine the relative importance of independent variable(s) and their relationship with the dependent variable. Qualitative data were analyzed to identify educational gaps. Data collection and statistical analyses will be completed by 11/2023, and manuscript preparation by 2/2024. To date, 10 of 30 questionnaires were completed. Preliminary findings show 80% of respondents found the educational on-boarding “quite” or “extremely” helpful; participants also indicated a need for additional resources on health law, maternal-fetal decision-making, distinguishing between fetal innovation vs research, and providing dissenting perspectives. Onboarding and ongoing education should be assessed and tailored to fetal therapy board membership composition and needs.
