Team dynamics, decision making, and attitudes toward multidisciplinary XXXX meetings: health professionals' perspectives.

@entity5 @entity1
PURPOSE: @entity5 care is a standard feature of high quality care. In many centers, the multidisciplinary meeting (MDM) is an integral component. A qualitative study was performed to explore health professionals' attitudes towards this model of care, the decision making processes, and dynamics among team members. METHODS: A series of focus groups was conducted with health professionals who attend MDMs at our institution. Focus groups followed a semistructured format with open-ended questions. A thematic analysis was performed. RESULTS: Four focus groups were held, attended by 23 @entity1 including allied health professionals, specialist nurses, medical oncologists, and surgeons. All @entity1 believed the primary objective of the MDM was to develop an individualized treatment plan. Several other key themes emerged. The MDM provided opportunities to improve communication, efficiency, and education as well as enhance professional relationships. Medical information was prioritized ahead of psychosocial details, with allied health professionals describing difficulty contributing to MDM discussion. @entity1 attendance at MDMs was opposed by health professionals because of concerns about the @entity1 's ability to cope with the information discussed and the effect their presence would have on the dynamics of the decision-making process. CONCLUSION: Health professionals endorse MDMs as a useful tool in treating @entity1 with @entity5 . Within this forum, both opportunities and constrains exist, with many benefits extending beyond the meeting itself into other clinical areas. Further study is warranted to establish an evidence base to ensure that both the possibilities and the limitations of this model of care are fully understood.
