A systematic review of the impact of multidisciplinary team meetings on patient assessment, management and outcomes.

Abstract

Background: Conducting regular multidisciplinary team meetings (MDMs) requires significant investment of time and finances. It is thus important to assess the empirical benefits of such practice. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the literature regarding the impact of MDMs on patient assessment, management and outcomes in Oncology settings. Methods: Relevant studies were identified by searching OVID MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases from 1995 to April 2015, using the keywords: multidisciplinary team meeting* OR multidisciplinary discussion * OR multidisciplinary conference* OR case review meeting* OR multidisciplinary care forum* OR multidisciplinary tumo?r board* or case conference* or case discussion* AND oncology OR cancer. Studies were included if they assessed measurable outcomes, and used a comparison group and/or a pre- and post-test design. Results: twenty- seven articles met inclusion criteria. There was limited evidence for improved survival outcomes of patients discussed at MDMs. Between 4 and 45% of patients discussed at MDMs experienced changes in diagnostic reports following the meeting. Patients discussed were more likely to receive more accurate and complete pre-operative staging, and neo-adjuvant/ adjuvant treatment. Only two studies reported that a mental health professional was present at the MDM. None of the studies evaluated the impact of MDM on patient satisfaction, quality of life of Psychological well-being. Conclusions: MDMs impact upon patient assessment and management practices. However, there was little evidence indicating that MDMs resulted in improvements in clinical or psychosocial outcomes. Future research should assess the impact of the MDM on patient satisfaction, psychological distress and quality of life.