Developing the clinical nurse specialist's role in fertility: do patients benefit?

This article discusses the published studies surrounding the role of the clinical nurse specialist and its effect on patient care. Evidence is presented to indicate that the extended role of the clinical nurse specialist provides a positive benefit when centred on patient need. Fertility nurses have responded to the rapid developments within the field and demonstrated that they can deliver a high level of practice within assisted reproduction clinics. This article focuses on some of the areas of extended fertility nursing practice.