The evolution of fertility preservation care models in a large pediatric cancer and blood disorders center

Background Children and adolescents who receive gonadotoxic treatments are at risk for future infertility. While there is a growing focus on integrating fertility preservation (FP) within pediatric cancer and blood disorder centers, wide variations in care models and methods exist across institutions. The purpose of this work is to describe the evolution of FP care models within a large pediatric hematology/oncology center. Methods Models of care and associated timeframes are described, including a pre-FP program model, establishment of a formal FP program, integration of nurse navigators, and the addition of FP consult stratification based on urgency (urgent/nonurgent). The number of patient consults within each model, patient sex, diagnosis (oncologic/hematologic), and consult timing (pre-gonadotoxic treatment/posttreatment completion) were abstracted from the clinical database. Results The number of annual consults increased from 24 during the pre-FP program model (2015) to 181 during the current care model (2020). Over time, the proportion of consults for females and patients with nonmalignant hematologic disorders increased. Patient stratification reduced the proportion of consults needing to be completed urgently from 75% at the advent of the FP program to 49% in the current model. Conclusions The evolution of care models within our FP program allowed for growth in the number of consults completed, expansion of services to more patients with nonmalignant hematologic disorders, and more consults for female patients. Nurse navigators play a critical role in care facilitating referrals, coordination, and patient education. Urgency stratification has allowed FP team members to manage increasing FP-related encounters.