Waler Nicholas J, Clavijo Raul I, Brackett Nancy L, Lynne Charles M, Ramasamy Ranjith
Department of Urology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL.
Department of Urology, University of California at Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.
Urology. 2018 Mar;113:45-51. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2017.10.048. Epub 2017 Dec 5.
To evaluate the presence and content of policies on posthumous sperm retrieval at 75 major academic medical centers in the U.S.
We surveyed the top 75 major academic medical centers ranked for research in 2016 by U.S. News & World Report using a questionnaire-based telephone/web survey. We gathered data on the presence and content of posthumous sperm retrieval policies on the Internet. If not published, we contacted the legal counsel, the ethics and compliance offices, the urology department, as well as the infertility treatment center associated with each institution. In addition, we also surveyed members of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology.
We gathered data regarding posthumous sperm retrieval from 41 out of the 75 major academic medical centers. Of the 41 institutions, only 11 (26.8%) had policies regarding posthumous sperm retrieval. Out of those 11 centers, 4 required prior written consent, whereas the remaining 6 allowed for verbal or inferred consent from the surviving life partner. One policy prohibited the procedure. Five of the policies in this survey included a bereavement period. Of the 30 (73.2%) centers without policies, lack of legal guidance was cited as the most common barrier to policy adoption.
Only a small proportion of major academic medical centers have policies on posthumous sperm retrieval. Medical centers can adopt individualized policies based on guidelines published by professional societies.
评估美国75家主要学术医疗中心关于死后取精政策的存在情况及内容。
我们使用基于问卷的电话/网络调查，对《美国新闻与世界报道》2016年排名靠前的75家主要学术医疗中心进行了调查。我们在互联网上收集了关于死后取精政策的存在情况及内容的数据。若未公布，我们联系了各机构的法律顾问、伦理与合规办公室、泌尿外科以及不孕不育治疗中心。此外，我们还对男性生殖与泌尿外科学会的成员进行了调查。
我们从75家主要学术医疗中心中的41家收集到了关于死后取精的数据。在这41家机构中，只有11家（26.8%）有死后取精政策。在这11家中心中，4家要求事先书面同意，其余6家允许在世的生活伴侣进行口头或默示同意。有一项政策禁止该程序。本次调查中的5项政策包括了哀悼期。在没有政策的30家（73.2%）中心中，缺乏法律指导被认为是采用政策的最常见障碍。
只有一小部分主要学术医疗中心有死后取精政策。医疗中心可根据专业学会发布的指南采用个性化政策。
