• Jared Diederichs, Patrick McMahon, Johnathan Tomas, and A J Muller.
• Family physician in Saskatoon, Sask and at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.
• Can Fam Physician. 2019 Sep 1; 65 (9): e391-e396.

ObjectiveTo identify noncompliance rates for 3-month postvasectomy semen analysis (PVSA) in men who have undergone vasectomy and to explore the self-reported reasons for not completing the 3-month PVSA.DesignRetrospective chart review followed by semistructured telephone interviews.SettingTwo family medicine clinics in Saskatoon, Sask.ParticipantsMen from the clinics who had undergone vasectomy since 2009. A total of 99 patients completed telephone interviews.MethodsAfter a review of electronic medical records at 2 family medicine clinics, patients who had undergone vasectomy since 2009 were identified. Upon review of their charts, the number of patients who did not have PVSA results on file was determined. Some of these men were contacted with a predetermined telephone script to discuss reasons for noncompliance.Main FindingsThe combined noncompliance rate for the 2 clinics was high (60.5%). Three main reasons for not completing the PVSA were identified among the patient responses. These included patients feeling too busy to complete PVSA, patients feeling confident in the physician or procedure immediately after vasectomy, and patients feeling the PVSA process was too inconvenient. Our high noncompliance rates are consistent with other literature. However, the findings might also have been affected by the proportion of patients who had completed their PVSA who were not included in the telephone sample. Rates differed between the 2 clinics; the clinic with the higher compliance rate acts as an academic practice, with more time for appointments and fewer patients being referred from other physicians.ConclusionNoncompliance rates for PVSA in this study were high. Three main reasons for noncompliance were identified that might help guide counseling opportunities in the future.Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

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