Keys to Building a Successful Interdisciplinary Program-Creating the...

The biggest thing that is important in doing a fertility preservation program is having a collaboration of multidisciplinary providers from both the medical and surgical aspects of the patient's care including oncology, surgical aspects, and primary care physicians.

Ancillary care team members including care managers from oncology, patient navigators from the fertility team, social work, psychology, genetics, and ethicists help optimize decision making and final outcomes.

The fertility navigator role is one of the most important steps in the consultation workflow.

Two oncologists work as part of the fertility preservation program and perform risk assessments instead of the primary oncologist.

The oncologist on the fertility team provides risk assessment information to either the gynecologist or urologist depending on whether the consultation is for a male or female patient.

Research coordinators assist with experimental fertility preservation techniques.

Every patient should receive a fertility preservation consultation regardless of their risk.

Families need to understand why different patients receive different fertility preservation options, which may be due to differences in risk or age.

Patient decision aids and shared decision-making tools guide families through the decision-making process by covering available options, timeframes, risks, benefits, and costs of different procedures.

Decision aids include considerations such as ethical standpoints, religious considerations, genetics, and social services that patients may find useful.

The shared decision-making tools are available for use at other centers.

Educational videos provide a brief introduction to fertility preservation that families can watch prior to consultation, giving them an introduction in an easy-to-understand format.

The program has a dedicated website not housed in any of the disciplines that are part of the program, where patients, families, and providers can find information about the program and how to consult the team.