Expansion of high-quality specialized services: The gynecologic oncology experience in Ontario hospitals.

Abstract

39 Background: In Ontario’s publicly funded cancer system, patient access to Gynecological Oncology (GyneOnc) care is threatened by growing demand, waiting times and need for lengthy patient travel. Cancer Care Ontario has published organizational standards that lay out the minimum clinical elements and infrastructure needed for a high quality program. Capacity planning and readiness assessments were used to guide GyneOnc expansion into non-academic regional cancer centres to alleviate system pressure. We evaluated early expansion activities to learn about critical factors and generate recommendations for future growth of this specialized oncology service. Methods: Capacity planning for new centres factored health human resources (HHR), patient volume and travel distances, ensuring that existing programs maintain critical mass. Evaluation included review of documents and readiness assessments related to the expansion projects undertaken to date. Interviews were done with GyneOncologists and administrators working at local and provincial levels to discover areas of risk, key factors for success, and recommended strategies for future expansion. Results: Gyne Onc programs need adequate resourcing (minimum 3 GyneOncs) to meet patient demand, support on-call and offer resilience to parental/medical leaves. Programs need engagement from other surgical and medical subspecialties, and clinical services (e.g. pathology, diagnostic imaging) for integrated, multidisciplinary care. Academic appointments, residencies, fellowships, and support for research provide links with universities, important for credibility. Endorsement by senior leadership - both management and clinical - is crucial. Organizational standards need specificity around the infrastructure and multidisciplinary environment needed for program success. Conclusions: HHR planning and readiness assessment are critical enablers in the expansion of specialized services like GyneOnc beyond academic centres. New programs need to consider the adequacy and appropriateness of staffing models, broad engagement of the clinical team, and linkages to academia, in order to ensure program sustainability and acceptability.