Teamwork and team decision-making at multidisciplinary cancer conferences: barriers, facilitators, and opportunities for improvement.
Lamb BW., Sevdalis N., Arora S., Pinto A., Vincent C., Green JSA.
BACKGROUND: Anecdotally, multidisciplinary cancer conferences (MCCs) do not always function optimally. MCC members' experiences with and attitudes toward MCCs are explored, and barriers to and facilitators of effective team-working are identified. METHODS: A total of 19 semistructured interviews were conducted with surgeons, oncologists, nurses, and administrators. Interviews explored participants' opinions on MCC attendance, information presentation, case discussion, leadership, team decision-making, and possible improvements to MCC meetings. RESULTS: Nonattendance was associated with not having protected time to attend the MCC. Contributions to MCC discussions were unequal among the participants, and patient-centered information was ignored. Good leadership was necessary to foster inclusive case discussion. Members were positive about MCCs, but protected time, improved case selection, and working in a more structured way were possible improvements. CONCLUSIONS: Results are consistent with previous research: Members of the MCC are positive about the benefits of MCCs, although improving the way MCCs work is a goal.