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. 2022 Oct 21:15:2421-2430.
doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S380293. eCollection 2022.

Mapping Current Organizational Structure and Improvement Points of Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Team Meetings - An Interview Study

Lejla Kočo  1 , Carmen C N Siebers  1 , Margrethe Schlooz  2 , Carla Meeuwis  3 , Hester S A Oldenburg  4 , Mathias Prokop  1 , Ritse M Mann  1   5
Affiliations

Mapping Current Organizational Structure and Improvement Points of Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Team Meetings - An Interview Study

Lejla Kočo et al. J Multidiscip Healthc. .

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the study was to map current organization, and document potential improvement points of breast cancer multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTMs), in order to support the optimization of the present breast cancer MDTM organization.

Methods: From January 2019 to February 2021, 24 core team members of the breast cancer multidisciplinary team (MDT) in three hospitals were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were performed based on an interview guide. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Deductive coding was performed on the transcripts by two independent researchers. The codes were organized in categories and themes.

Results: In total 24 healthcare professionals; surgeons, medical oncologists, radiotherapists, pathologists, radiologists, and specialized nurses, from three different hospitals were interviewed. According to the participants, improving efficiency before and during MDTMs is possible by ensuring proper preparation of attendees, implementing more structure during discussions, improving access to and availability of patient data and optimizing general meeting discipline.

Conclusion: Preparation, structure, data availability and meeting discipline were highlighted as essential factors for efficient breast cancer MDTM improvement. These topics seem to be applicable to other types of oncology MDTMs as well. Improving MDTM efficiency on the long term ensures high-quality discussions for all breast cancer patients.

Keywords: MDTM evaluation; breast cancer MDTMs; breast cancer care efficiency; optimizing breast cancer care; qualitative research.

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Conflict of interest statement

Prof. Dr Mathias Prokop reports grants, personal fees from Siemens Healthineers, during the conduct of the study; grants, personal fees from Canon Medical Systems, personal fees from Bracco, outside the submitted work. Dr Ritse M Mann reports grants, personal fees, non-financial support from Siemens, grants, personal fees from Bayer, grants, non-financial support from Screenpoint, grants, personal fees, non-financial support from BD, grants, non-financial support from Koning, grants, non-financial support from PA-Imaging, outside the submitted work. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of participant comments regarding the preparation of breast cancer MDTMs. (A) Duration of preparation: estimated average time spent preparing the MDTM per participant. (B) Preparation methods: the method of preparation used per participant. (C) Preparation remarks: comments regarding the preparation of colleagues. (D) Benefits of preparation: factors related to preparation that were considered beneficial for MDTMs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Summary of participant comments regarding the facilitators and barriers of time management during breast cancer MDTMs. (A) Structure: facilitators and barriers concerning the structure of breast cancer MDTMs. (B) Availability of information: facilitators and barriers concerning patient information. (C) Meeting discipline: facilitators and barriers concerning the way MDTMs are moderated.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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