Interactive Session - Legal Professional Interest Group and the Society of Reproductive Biologists and Technologists - Laboratory and Clinical Errors

Presenters

Laboratory and Clinical Errors: Real Life Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Needs Assessment and Description
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) laboratories and laboratory personnel need to be watchful and knowledgeable about their obligations and vulnerabilities. This live interactive session will be of value not only to laboratory directors and personnel, but also medical directors, risk managers and attorneys who are involved in ART laboratory management. Given both the proliferation in embryo and gamete freezing, and the growing types of families utilizing various ART treatments, laboratory professionals must recognize the potential pitfalls and establish safeguards for their practices. 

Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: 

1. Enumerate legal uncertainties and potential safeguards, particularly for genetic material involving gamete donors, non-traditional couples, single intended parents and embryo donation. 
2. Identify the critical elements in creating a laboratory environment that minimizes mistakes. 
3. Discuss the importance of selecting, training and working with embryologists so that they are less likely to make a mistake. 
4. Describe how to use protocols and laboratory structure to minimize mistakes. 

ACGME Competency
Professionalism 

TEST QUESTION:
Long-time patients of your ART program have now moved on to embryo donation by locating 6 embryos from an outside broker, which considers this “embryo adoption.” The patients ask your program to accept the shipped embryos, implant them two at a time, and store any remaining embryos while they are in treatment or become pregnant. The embryos were originally created with donor eggs and donated by a same-sex couple. After participating in this session, in my practice I will: 

1. Reject the embryos on the basis that this violates the U.S. Food and Drug Administration/American Society for Reproductive Medicine testing and/or storage requirements. 
2. Review any legal agreement(s) between the patients and the donors and matching program before accepting the embryos or agreeing to treat. 
3. Accept the embryos on a limited basis, with additional documentation restricting/outlining the practice’s obligations as to parentage and long-term storage (and other potential restrictions). 
4. Not applicable to my area of practice.