Abstract
283 Background: Infertility can be a devastating consequence for adolescent or young adult (AYA) patients, posing distinct challenges for healthcare providers striving to deliver high-quality, equitable cancer care. The rising incidence of cancer and growing population of AYA cancer survivors necessitates innovative, streamlined, and efficient processes to promote fertility preservation. While guidelines from organizations like American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provide valuable recommendations, ensuring consistent adherence to these standards remains an ongoing challenge. Methods: The aim of this quality improvement project was to increase fertility preservation counseling and documentation, by 20% within 6 months without delaying chemotherapy start for newly diagnoses AYA patients (age 18-39) within a large academic medical center. Utilizing a Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) methodology, interventions were conducted through a series of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles that included provider and staff education, referral process standardization, implementation of a best practice advisory (BPA) within the electronic health record (EHR), revision of organizational policy, and establishment of nurse touchpoints to facilitate communication. Results: The percentage of counseling and documentation in AYA cancer patients (n=83) increased by 52%, exceeding the project aim. Statistical significance was calculated using a chi-square test. Contrary to initial concerns of potential delays in beginning chemotherapy while awaiting preservation, the average time to starting chemotherapy decreased by 43%. Conclusions: Fertility preservation counseling is a critical aspect of quality outcomes for AYA cancer patients. Strategic planning of automated methods to facilitate documentation and referral was an ideal method of building quality into a large healthcare system. Establishing methods of process improvement engrained best practices, allowing for enrichment of data collection, while driving continuous quality improvement. Increased utilization of the BPA facilitated tracking of quality metrics, while promoting a patient-centered approach to fertility preservation. Interdisciplinary collaboration between physicians, nurses, and reproductive specialists fosters holistic care to enhance long-term survivorship. Fertility preservation counseling and documentation Results. Month Month Count (%) QuarterlyCount (%) 95% CI Change 95% CI P Mean days to begin chemotherapy Baseline 17 of 41 (41%) 17 of 41 (41%) 0.27 to 0.58 42 October 19 of 20 (95%) November 10 of 12 (83%) December 9 of 14 (64%) 38 of 46 (83%) 0.68 to 0.92 0.41 0.20 to 0.62 <0.001 January 10 of 12 (83%) February 7 of 7 (100%) March 12 of 12 (100%) 29 of 31 (94%) 0.77 to 0.99 0.52 0.32 to 0.72 <0.001 24 April 6 of 6 (100%)
Published Version
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