Assessment of needs of men for decision support on male sterilization

Objective: To assess the needs of men for decision support on male sterilization. Methods: Forty-two men facing a decision about undergoing a vasectomy or not and 11 physicians who perform vasectomy were interviewed to assess the sources of difficulty in this decision-making process. On the day of their vasectomy, 209 men completed the decisional conflict scale (DCS) and a knowledge test. Results: Sources of difficulty about the decision to have a vasectomy or not included: lack of information about risks and benefits, clarification of personal values concerning parenthood after the vasectomy, and undue pressure from partner. On the day of their vasectomy, only 1.9% (95% confidence interval 0.5-4.8%) of men had unresolved decisional conflict. However, most men scored poorly on their knowledge test mean score (58.2 ± 13.5%). Conclusion: Men facing the decision about having a vasectomy or not would benefit from a decision support intervention that would address conflicting information and clarification of values. Practice implications: Health professionals should provide decision support to men facing the decision about having a vasectomy or not. A decision aid on male sterilization would be useful in this respect. © 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.